It took only seconds of strumming and dreamy, dulcet singing for Dreimanis to realize he’d met his muse. He sat listening, dumfounded, dreaming up ideas for what could come to be between the two of them. Clear-headed the next day, he started his search for the stranger from the bar with whom he seemingly shared a soul. He found her; they founded July Talk.
The basic structural facts of rock band July Talk are this: two front people, Leah Fay Goldstein and Peter Dreimanis, surrounded by whiplashing guitarists Ian Docherty and [[bandmember from=2012]Josh Warburton, and double drummers Danny Miles and Dani Nash. For this compulsively DIY, rigorously self-realizing group, the essence of July Talk has always been the tension between precision and chaos.
Audiences need not ask what July Talk’s two writhing frontpeople’s relationship is to each other, but rather what their relationship is to their audience, and to the world. These bodies welcome our gaze, they revel and recoil in it while they furiously push back, asking of us what they ask of each other: please see me for who I am. If we see July Talk as a woman and a man, in opposition to one another, what we are seeing is our own projections upon these bodies.
What goes on between these bodies, all of them, that kinetic, staticky, sticky space, is where the truth of July Talk takes shape. On stage, July Talk unfurls and explodes. July Talk is known by their success at radio and their unmatched live show. Both of these things are true, but neither tells the complete story.
As video directors, their meticulous and masterful visual work has created an entirely unique aesthetic, and propelled them into collaborations with other artists, including Tanya Tagaq, Born Ruffians and Jasmyn. Their pandemic drive-in show presented an emphatic vision of creative direction, with balletic live projections opening new possibilities for coming performances. July Talk’s quieter triumphs, growing in their roles as advocates for industry change and defining their own parameters for safer, decolonized spaces at rock shows with their Love Lives Here posters, now translated into twelve languages, are as important to the band’s identity and humanity.
We can hear July Talk as the contrast of two voices that interject, operate and overlap around one another. We’re not wrong, but it’s not the full story. July Talk is a decade-long dialogue between two people; it is also a continuous conversation with older generations, previous selves, collaborators.
Even in the stark orderliness of black and white, July Talk has always been a work in progress. More accurately, it’s a work of progress, a communal pursuit of limitlessness as a mode of being. For a decade, July Talk has continued in its relentless project to know itself, through its whiskey-soaked blues rock roots on its self-titles debut EP, the 2016 dance-rock infused Touch and its contemplation of connection, or the quietly reflective eyes of their 2020 release Pray For It.
With their forthcoming 2023 album Remember Never Before, the most potently yet inventively “July Talk” album yet, the band returns – changed – to where they began.
Blood + Honey
July Talk Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ones you tried need something new
I've seen your sequined jacket
And you're forgetting how you move
We've got blood and honey
Got blood and honey
Getting high and getting some
They're lining up to see you
Up and coming all too soon
There's a crowd of white bloodshot eyes
So no one cares you're out of tune
We've got blood and honey
All you have is money
There's nothing new at what you do
It's the only pain you know
I don't miss your cocaine
I got blood and honey
Getting high and gettin some
It's the only pain you know
Suburban prince, shiny and vinyl crush
And how sleek you thought you knew
There's nothing new 'bout what you do
Who's stolen skin do you fit into?
We got blood and honey
Got blood and honey
You got Friday night to look forward to
Blacking out in expensive shoes
I don't miss your cocaine
I got blood and honey
Getting high and gettin some
It's the only pain you know
The song "Blood Honey" by July Talk is a commentary on the allure and pitfalls of fame and addiction. The lyrics speak to the idea that some people will do anything to achieve success or escape their problems, even if it means resorting to drugs or other destructive behaviors. The first stanza describes someone who is tired of the same old routine and is looking for something new. The singer implies that this person is forgetting their own identity and personality, as evidenced by the sequined jacket they wear and the way they move.
The chorus of the song speaks to the idea of "blood and honey" - a metaphor for the attraction and addiction to fame and success. The singer asserts that they too are caught up in this cycle, getting high and seeking out pleasure as a way to cope with the pain of existence. The second stanza highlights the irony of this lifestyle, as people flock to see the person perform despite the fact that they are out of tune and forgettable.
The final verse of the song addresses the suburban prince - someone who is shiny and polished on the outside but lacks real substance or identity. The singer questions who this person is trying to be or emulate, and comments that there's nothing original or new about what they do. The song concludes with a reminder that even though the singer understands the appeal of getting high and "getting some," they also recognize that it's not a sustainable way to live.
Line by Line Meaning
You said you're sick of all the ones you tried need something new
You're tired of the same old things and seeking novelty
I've seen your sequined jacket and you're forgetting how you move
You're becoming complacent and losing your spark
We've got blood and honey, got blood and honey, getting high and getting some, it's the only pain you know
We have the simple pleasures in life that bring us temporary relief from our troubles
They're lining up to see you, up and coming all too soon, there's a crowd of white bloodshot eyes, so no one cares you're out of tune
You're famous, but your popularity won't last and your flaws are ignored by your fans
All you have is money, there's nothing new at what you do, it's the only pain you know
You're stuck in a cycle of materialism and repetition that's unfulfilling
I don't miss your cocaine, I got blood and honey, getting high and gettin some, it's the only pain you know
I don't need your substance abuse to feel good, I have my own simple pleasures
Suburban prince, shiny and vinyl crush, and how sleek you thought you knew, there's nothing new 'bout what you do, who's stolen skin do you fit into?
You're a privileged but fake person who's lost touch with reality and struggles to find their own identity
You got Friday night to look forward to, blacking out in expensive shoes
Your weekend consists of partying and materialism, which offers only temporary relief from your dissatisfaction
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Peter Goyette Dreimanis, Leah Fay Goldstein, Ian Docherty, Daniel Miles, Josh Warburton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Crimson Kat
Lyricssssssss:
You said you're sick of all the
Ones you tried meet something new
I've seen your sequined jacket and you're forgetting how you move
We've got blood and honey
Got blood and honey
Getting high and getting some
It's the only pain you know
They're lining up to see you
I've been coming all too soon
There's a crowd of white bloodshot eyes
So no one cares you're out of tune
We've got blood and honey
All you have is money
There's nothing new at what you do
It's the only pain you know
I don't miss your cocaine
I got blood and honey
Getting high and gettin some
It's the only pain you know
Suburban prince, shiny and vinyl crush
And how sleek you thought you knew
There's nothing new bout what you do
Who's stolen skin do you fit into
We got blood and honey
Got blood and honey
You got friday night to look forward to
A black and white and expensive shoes
I don't miss your cocaine
I got blood and honey
Getting high and gettin some
It's the only pain you know
James Lindsay
We drove the 1,100km from here to Winnipeg to see them (and a buttload of other great acts) at the Intrestellar Rodeo (Summer 2015 - The Forks), and they were AMAZING!
While another act was performing, Peter, Ian, and Danny were just out in the crowd, grooving to the tunes (might have been Black Joe Lewis?) and I tapped my wife on the shoulder, said, "Hey, check that out," and pointed to them. She lost her spit, of course, and then ran over to them like a 46 year old groupie. It was awesome. I then joined her, and waved our daughter over as well. Great bunch of guys. Very personable, real, and down to Earth.
Talked some more to Peter and met Leah (who was incredibly sweet to our 15 year old aspiring musician, offering sage advice) after the show. Peter gave me a beer, which fortunately wasn't roofied.
If you ever get a chance to see them, go for it. you will NOT be disappointed.
Support good musicians. Go to their shows. BUY their albums. Good ones deserve it.
#CanConRocks #MAPL
Crimson Kat
Lyricssssssss:
You said you're sick of all the
Ones you tried meet something new
I've seen your sequined jacket and you're forgetting how you move
We've got blood and honey
Got blood and honey
Getting high and getting some
It's the only pain you know
They're lining up to see you
I've been coming all too soon
There's a crowd of white bloodshot eyes
So no one cares you're out of tune
We've got blood and honey
All you have is money
There's nothing new at what you do
It's the only pain you know
I don't miss your cocaine
I got blood and honey
Getting high and gettin some
It's the only pain you know
Suburban prince, shiny and vinyl crush
And how sleek you thought you knew
There's nothing new bout what you do
Who's stolen skin do you fit into
We got blood and honey
Got blood and honey
You got friday night to look forward to
A black and white and expensive shoes
I don't miss your cocaine
I got blood and honey
Getting high and gettin some
It's the only pain you know
Don't be shy
Crimson Kat thank you <3<3
Mark DeMers
they're getting the recognition.. one like at a time.. July Talk is spreading like wild fire.. Detroit a couple nights ago to a big crowd.. outstanding live show and presence
Vanilla Bean
Saw them play at K-days here in Edmonton, it was amazing. Leah actually brought up someone onto stage and asked him: "i know what you want, you want a kiss!" and she made him kiss the drummer instead. it was hilarious.
l
what a legend!
Nancy
This is one hell of a song, they need more recognition!
lucy rivers
I have to listen to this song 3 or 4 times before moving onto another song, and I sign along every time.... I love it that much. Please dont ever stop making amazing music July Talk!
Levy Léoh
Eu amei essa música velho, certeza de que eu ouvirei até o meu ultimo dia de vida.
James Lindsay
We drove the 1,100km from here to Winnipeg to see them (and a buttload of other great acts) at the Intrestellar Rodeo (Summer 2015 - The Forks), and they were AMAZING!
While another act was performing, Peter, Ian, and Danny were just out in the crowd, grooving to the tunes (might have been Black Joe Lewis?) and I tapped my wife on the shoulder, said, "Hey, check that out," and pointed to them. She lost her spit, of course, and then ran over to them like a 46 year old groupie. It was awesome. I then joined her, and waved our daughter over as well. Great bunch of guys. Very personable, real, and down to Earth.
Talked some more to Peter and met Leah (who was incredibly sweet to our 15 year old aspiring musician, offering sage advice) after the show. Peter gave me a beer, which fortunately wasn't roofied.
If you ever get a chance to see them, go for it. you will NOT be disappointed.
Support good musicians. Go to their shows. BUY their albums. Good ones deserve it.
#CanConRocks #MAPL
Julie Marie
Love this song! Seeing them live in 2.5 hours! :)