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.
Headsick
July Talk Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I borrowed a car, you packed your Saturday
Seems that we deal with things a bit differently, differently
I went to the kitchen and looked at a knife
I watched a stranger fuck the love of my life
Seems that I deal with things a bit differently, differently
I misplaced myself this time
I don't wanna, I don't wanna waste your time
I love the way you lose your mind
New York's underwater is counting to ten
He'd rather stop breathing than see me again
Seems we remember things a bit differently, differently
I never saw myself climbing the stairs
Voices to see and best not compare
Try to forget things, a bit differently, differently
I don't wanna, I don't wanna wasted mind
I misplaced myself this time
I don't wanna I don't wanna waste your time
I love the way you lose your mind
Hey, come back, that's not what I said
It's all in your head
I don't wanna, I don't wanna wasted mind
I don't wanna, I don't wanna wasted mind
I don't wanna, I don't wanna wasted mind
I don't wanna, I don't wanna wasted mind
I don't wanna, I don't wanna violent show
I don't wanna, I don't wanna watch you go
I don't wanna, I don't wanna let you know
I don't wanna, I don't want a head sick
The song "Headsick" by July Talk tells the story of a relationship falling apart from the perspective of someone who feels lost and misunderstood. The first verse sets the scene of two people going their separate ways on a Saturday, with the singer feeling like they are on the "wrong side" of the story. The second verse reveals the singer's darker thoughts as they contemplate violence as a way to deal with their pain and betrayal, contrasting with their partner's seemingly more level-headed response.
As the song progresses, the confusion and miscommunication between the two characters become increasingly apparent. The line "New York's underwater is counting to ten" suggests that the world is ending, or at least their world is ending, and instead of coming together in love, the separation becomes an act of violence. The singer's frustration is palpable in lines like "Hey, come back, that's not what I said/It's all in your head", indicating that things have become so mixed up and difficult to communicate that any attempt at reconciliation seems futile.
Overall, "Headsick" is a haunting portrayal of a relationship breakdown and the different ways people cope with pain and confusion. It shows how difficult it can be to truly understand another person's perspective, even in the closest of relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm on the wrong side of this story
I am not in the right position in this narrative
I borrowed a car, you packed your Saturday
I used a car that wasn't mine while you planned your weekend activities
Seems that we deal with things a bit differently, differently
We have different ways of coping and handling situations
I went to the kitchen and looked at a knife
I contemplated using a knife as a means of coping
I watched a stranger fuck the love of my life
I observed the person I love being intimate with someone else
I don't wanna, I don't wanna wasted mind
I don't want to have a mind that is lost in thought with no productive outcome
I misplaced myself this time
I am not acting in accordance to my own character or desires
I love the way you lose your mind
I find it appealing when you let go of your inhibitions and behave chaotically
New York's underwater is counting to ten
A metaphor that signifies a potential disaster or crisis
He'd rather stop breathing than see me again
He would choose death over encountering me
Seems we remember things a bit differently, differently
We have different recollections and perspectives on past events
I never saw myself climbing the stairs
I never imagined myself in the situation that I am currently facing
Voices to see and best not compare
Diverse opinions are prevalent, but it's difficult to determine which one holds more truth
Try to forget things, a bit differently, differently
Attempting to erase memories can vary in its level of effectiveness and impact on an individual
Hey, come back, that's not what I said
Please return and allow me to clarify and rectify any misunderstandings
It's all in your head
Your emotions and thoughts may not accurately reflect reality
I don't wanna, I don't wanna violent show
I don't want to engage in or experience aggressive behavior
I don't wanna, I don't wanna watch you go
I don't want to see you leave or end the relationship
I don't wanna, I don't wanna let you know
I don't want to be honest or upfront about my feelings
I don't wanna, I don't want a head sick
I don't want to have a confused or conflicted mental state
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Peter Goyette Dreimanis, Leah Fay Goldstein, Eamon Michael Mcgrath, Daniel P Miles, Josh Earl Warburton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ganjakittymrow
July Talk: Headsick.
I'm on the wrong side of this story
I borrowed a car you packed your Saturday
Seems that we deal with things a bit differently, differently.
I went to the kitchen and looked at a knife
I watched a stranger fuck the love of my life,
seems that I deal with things a bit differently, differently.
I don't wanna, I don't wanna wasted mind, I misplaced myself this time
I don't wanna, I don't wanna waste your time, I love the way you lose your mind.
New Yorks underwater is counting to ten, he'd rather stop breathing than see me again,
seems we remember things a bit differently, differently.
I never saw my self climbing the stairs, voices to see and best not compare,
try to forget things, a bit differently, differently
I don't wanna, I don't wanna wasted mind, I misplaced myself this time,
I don't wanna I don't wanna waste your time, i love the way you lose your mind.
Hey come back that's not what I said,
Its all in your head.
I don't wanna, I don't wanna wasted mind. I don't wanna, I don't wanna wasted mind.
I don't wanna, I don't wanna wasted mind. I don't wanna, I don't wanna wasted mind.
I don't wanna, I don't wanna violent show. I don't wanna, I don't wanna watch you go.
I don't wanna, I don't wanna let you know. I don't wanna, I don't want a head sick.
Credits to... Valerie Logan... Ganjakittymrow ;D
@stevenneufeld1285
The contrast between singers is perfection
@ohaiiigorgeous
Canadian bands are just the best, man.
@ImprovingSlowly
You got that right, woman.
@reeperXIII
isn't justin bieber Canadian? At least these guys at least as hard as bieber sucks
@ImprovingSlowly
Justin Bieber is indeed Canadian, but he wouldn't last a day in our market. America literally supports him, so he's your problem. Just like Celine dion...
@stackingpain
RobBobLoblaw reeperXIII Bieber is not a band.
@ImprovingSlowly
stackingPain Thanks Sherlock, que the obvious
@Just1MeDestiny
July Talk.
Rustic & Simple.
Plus Canadian. I love your diversity with every song. Thanks guys =)
@VentusxBBSxSpero
The sound of the two different vocalists... Now that's juxtaposition!
@waitandread2032
+VentusxBBSxSpero I desperately adore the high-soft vs. low-rough.