The would-be next album, "Dear Tommy" (2016), was scrapped, and was meant to be re-worked for a subsequent release, however the fate of album is unclear, as on August 10, 2021, Ruth Radelet, Adam Miller and Nat Walker announced the breaking up of Chromatics. Later that day the label, Italians Do It Better, and Johnny Jewel's representative, also confirmed the breakup. Their last album is "Closer to Grey" (2019), which has a companion album, "Faded Now" (2020).
The band originally hailed from Seattle and formed in 2002 as a quartet featuring vocalist Adam Miller, drummer Hannah Blilie, guitarist Devin Welch, and bassist Michelle Nolan. That lineup debuted in 2002 with a Calvin Johnson-produced 7" on Gold Standard Laboratories -- a split with Die Monitr Batss -- and followed with the similarly GSL-issued Chrome Rats vs Basement Ruts LP.
While Chrome Rats was critically hailed, Chromatics couldn't keep it together, and Miller was soon the only member in good standing (Blilie, Welch, and Nolan went on to form the similar-sounding Shoplifting). Unworried, Miller added guitar and drum programming to his vocal duties and tapped bassist Nat Sahlstrom for the 2003 GSL 7" Ice Hatchets. That was followed by the February 2004 full-length Plaster Hounds (which featured the percussion work of Get Hustle's Ron Avila), and a repositioning of the Chromatics axis to greater reflect its dub and no wave influences.
This lineup too dissolved and Adam Miller relocated Chromatics to Portland, teaming up with Glass Candy's Johnny Jewel, Ruth Radelet on lead vocals, and Nat Walker on percussion and saxophone. The new lineup of Chromatics had a more lo-fi electronic sound as opposed to the earlier dub and no-wave sounds.
I Can Never Be Myself When You're Around
Chromatics Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm not the same me
I can never be myself
When you're around
Baby
It's not a new thing
All the dreams we had
We live just to love (Baby)
Getting lost on our own (Baby)
And we tell all our lies (Baby)
As our hearts turn to stone (Baby)
Baby
It's not that easy
I can never be myself
When you're around
Baby
Was it all for nothing?
We try to reach so high
But still we hit the ground
We live just to love (Baby)
Getting lost on our own (Baby)
And we tell all our lies (Baby)
As our hearts turn to stone (Baby)
Baby
I'm not the same me
I can never be myself
When you're around
Baby
It's not a new thing
All the dreams we had
Were more than what we found
We live just to love
Getting lost on our own
And we tell all our lies
As our hearts turn to stone
Baby
Baby
Baby
Baby
The lyrics of Chromatics’ “I Can Never Be Myself When You’re Around” communicate a sense of displacement and discomfort resulting from trying to maintain a façade in the presence of someone who has a strong influence over one’s sense of self. The singer feels as though they are not their authentic self when this person is present. They cannot live up to their own expectations and aspirations and feel as though the relationship was not as meaningful as they thought it would be. The chorus of the song repeats, “We live just to love, getting lost on our own, and we tell all our lies, as our hearts turn to stone”. This suggests a sense of disillusionment with the relationship, as though the singer and the person in question are only going through the motions of love, while their true selves remain lost and detached. The song suggests that the two are together, but not really together, and that the efforts put in are ultimately fruitless.
The verses suggest that the relationship has been a challenge from the start, with the dreams of the two never being realized into anything substantial. The lyrics “all the dreams we had were more than what we found” indicates that the singer expected more from the relationship than what was ultimately delivered, which is what leaves them feeling out of place and unable to be themselves. Ultimately, the song seems to suggest that it is better to be alone than to be with someone who requires you to be someone you are not, someone who does not accept and love you for who you truly are.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby
I'm not the same me
I can never be myself
When you're around
When you are around, I am not comfortable being my true self, rather I am someone else entirely.
Baby
It's not a new thing
All the dreams we had
Were more than what we found
Our relationship has not been fulfilling as each dream we have had for it has not come true.
We live just to love (Baby)
Getting lost on our own (Baby)
And we tell all our lies (Baby)
As our hearts turn to stone (Baby)
We have been living with the purpose of loving each other, but we have been lying to ourselves and as a result, our hearts have become cold and unemotional.
Baby
Was it all for nothing?
We try to reach so high
But still we hit the ground
Our efforts to make our relationship work have been futile – regardless of our high aspirations, we never seem to make any progress.
Baby
It's not that easy
I can never be myself
When you're around
Being myself around you is difficult because our relationship is not comfortable, and I feel like I always need to pretend to be someone who I am not.
We live just to love
Getting lost on our own
And we tell all our lies
As our hearts turn to stone
Our only motivation in life is to love each other, but we have lost our way and become disconnected from our emotions. We've become cold and distant, and as a result, our love has become a lie.
Baby
Baby
Baby
Baby
Repetition of the word 'baby' to emphasize the emotional intensity behind the lyrics.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Adam Miller, Nathaniel Miller, John Padgett
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@pigwarts
You guys make the perfect songs for any situation. Perfect for long lonely night walks or for dancing to in a crowded room.
@designerlarry
Pigwarts5Ever and perfect music for an intimate night with your soulmate.
I was blown away from their concert this year. Can't wait to see them again. I felt like I was on the set of Twin Peaks the Return.
Musically and visually Johnny Jewel and Company is on their A game.
@mariobertrand6305
These guys are so unique! They sound, look, and feel retro but yet are modern. They are on the verge of being timeless!
@astronaut4291
God, this is one of my favorite songs of the decade. So musically propulsive and lyrically honest. Seeing y’all in Seattle was one of the best experiences of my life.
@thegamedudeguy
I just want to find someone who I can dance to Chromatics with during the End of the World.
@surfthestreets86
Sounds like an amazing moment of time.
@tomsmiley126
Don't have long to wait.
@darreanziemski2379
Same
@_scabs6669
I got u
@_scabs6669
Sounds like a pretty perfect way to go out