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.
Come Down Champion
July Talk Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your clothes soaking wet
With the morning
Come the regrets
Lovin' ain't just living
But his stories fill a room
And his apologies
It ain't easy
To start off at the back of the line
For the comedown champion
Women ain't that hard to find
A girl named Gabrielle
A suitcase full of clothes
A warm car in the winter
Marilyn Monroe
Months turn into years
Now she's chained to the ground
Lovers turned into nightmares
If they're not around
But he's the Comedown champion
He's at the back of the line
And it ain't easy
With one woman on your mind
No, it ain't easy
To start off at the back of the line
For the Comedown champion
Women ain't that hard to find
The lyrics of July Talk's song "The Come Down Champion" describe a story of a man who is at the back of the line when it comes to love, and his struggles with relationships. The first verse talks about the aftermath of a night of partying, and how the morning brings with it feelings of regret. The second verse contrasts love with the man's ability to tell stories and apologize, hinting at his difficulty with expressing his emotions and maintaining relationships. The chorus highlights his status as "the Comedown champion," a term that seems to suggest that he is used to disappointment and heartbreak.
The third verse introduces a new character, a girl named Gabrielle, and describes her journey from having a full life to being "chained to the ground" due to failed relationships. The final chorus repeats the earlier messages, emphasizing the difficulty of being at the back of the line and the singer's continued struggle with love.
Overall, the lyrics paint a picture of a man who has a difficult time connecting with others, particularly when it comes to romantic relationships. The repeated references to the "Comedown champion" suggest that he has become comfortable with disappointment, but the presence of the woman on his mind shows that he still yearns for love and connection.
Line by Line Meaning
At the end of the night
After a long day, when everything is done
Your clothes soaking wet
Your clothes are dampened or wet with sweat, tears or rain
With the morning
When the sun comes up
Come the regrets
That's when you start to feel bad for what you've done the night before
Lovin' ain't just living
Being in love is way more intense than just living your life normally
But his stories fill a room
He's a great storyteller and people often listen to him share his life experiences
And his apologies
He's quick to say sorry when he messes up
Come early in the afternoon
He knows he's goofed and seeks to make it right as soon as possible
It ain't easy
It's quite hard
To start off at the back of the line
To begin from a disadvantaged position
For the comedown champion
Someone who's good at handling the aftermath of a tiring, wild night
Women ain't that hard to find
It's easy for him to find women to spend his time with, especially after a night out
A girl named Gabrielle
A girl with the name Gabrielle
A suitcase full of clothes
She's well-travelled and has many clothes, as evidenced by her suitcase
A warm car in the winter
She has a car with heating, so she won't get cold during winter
Marilyn Monroe
She reminds him of Marilyn Monroe - someone famous and well-known
Months turn into years
A long time has passed
Now she's chained to the ground
She's stuck and can't move forward, like being chained to something heavy
Lovers turned into nightmares
People they loved or cared for have turned into bad, scary experiences
If they're not around
If those people are not with them anymore
But he's the Comedown champion
Even though it's tough, he's good at dealing with the aftermath of wild nights out
He's at the back of the line
He's starting from a disadvantaged position
And it ain't easy
It's quite difficult
With one woman on your mind
He's caught up with thoughts of one woman, making it hard to move on
No, it ain't easy
It's quite hard
To start off at the back of the line
To begin from a disadvantaged position
For the Comedown champion
He's good at dealing with the aftermath of wild nights out
Women ain't that hard to find
It's easy for him to find women to spend his time with, especially after a night out
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Ian Docherty, Peter Goyette Dreimanis, Leah Fay Goldstein, Eamon Michael Mcgrath, Daniel P Miles, Josh Earl Warburton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Gsegaram
July talk is an amazing band with unique talent go Canada!!!
@innominenidi
july talk is our new favourite band for sure!
@andynorthcroy
Hope they come to Scotland soon...been listening to them lots recently....they're excellent.
@leeakers4525
I heard the interview on CBC Radio 1 out of Regina this morning. Am now listening to "The Come Down Champion". Intriguing band. Hope to see them here in the US.
@hakandahlstedt649
Love this song.
@darksayese
this dude voice Is Just awesome
@wizdumb9048
Great sound.
@marcnsheral.331
Newsest jam song..makes me want to bawl, sing & dance at the same time lol!
@jessicadoumani2573
i can't believe this only has 310 views <3<3 july talk is my obsession <3
@brettunger2578
People could say this is a dope song...to me..it’s ego.....apply lightly....like a salve...