Upon returning to his hometown of Toronto, Canada, from a final European to… Read Full Bio ↴Upon returning to his hometown of Toronto, Canada, from a final European tour with his band, Peter Dreimanis sat sweaty and half-drunk in a candlelit basement bar, nursing a drink, debating his next musical pursuit. Lulled in lethargy, he paid little attention to the beat-up acoustic guitar being passed from patron to patron around him; that was until it found its home in the hands of Leah Fay.

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.

My Neck
July Talk Lyrics

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Someone started a rumor saying
Scars are made of rope
But you didn't tell your hands to tie that knot around your throat
Isadora Duncan, is it convertibles you crave?
Decisions make, decisions break
And enter in your grave

My neck, my neck

She's a total wreck

Hands up baby, table dancing
Numb that little heart
Smashing glass and talking loudly
How'd you get so smart?
Tell the men just what you crave
Some you give and some you take
Laced up, summed up
Never thought you'd actually cave

My neck, my neck
She's a total wreck
My neck, my neck
She's a total wreck

I'm not that skinny or tall
I'm not that skinny or tall
This is redressing a wrong
I'm not that skinny or tall

My neck, my neck
She's a total wreck
My neck, my neck
She's a total wreck

My neck, my neck

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of July Talk's song "My Neck" appear to be about a woman who is struggling with depression and self-destructive behaviors. The opening lines reference a rumor that scars are made of rope, suggesting that the woman has attempted suicide or self-harm in the past. However, the lyrics also imply that she did not consciously choose to hurt herself and may not even understand why she feels the way she does. The line "decisions make, decisions break" suggests that the woman is constantly faced with difficult choices that she may not be equipped to handle.

Later in the song, the woman is described as "table dancing" and "smashing glass," suggesting that she is engaging in reckless behavior in an attempt to numb her pain. However, the lyrics also suggest that she is intelligent and capable, as she is able to "tell the men just what you crave." The final lines of the song appear to be a statement of self-acceptance, with the singer insisting that "I'm not that skinny or tall" and that this is an attempt to "redress a wrong."

Overall, "My Neck" is a raw and emotionally charged song that tackles themes of depression, self-harm, and self-acceptance. It is a powerful example of the kind of honest, introspective songwriting that July Talk is known for.

Line by Line Meaning

Someone started a rumor saying
There’s been a rumor going around about something

Scars are made of rope
People can hurt themselves with their own actions

But you didn't tell your hands to tie that knot around your throat
You didn’t intentionally cause yourself pain

Isadora Duncan, is it convertibles you crave?
Are you seeking luxury or something else entirely?

Decisions make, decisions break
The choices we make can determine our fate

And enter in your grave
Our actions have consequences that will follow us to the end of our lives

My neck, my neck
This lyric serves as a repeating chorus, perhaps emphasizing the idea of feeling trapped or suffocated

She's a total wreck
The person being described is in complete disarray, unable to cope with their circumstances

Hands up baby, table dancing
Letting loose and abandoning inhibitions

Numb that little heart
Trying to escape emotional pain, perhaps through substance use

Smashing glass and talking loudly
Acting out in destructive ways, potentially as a response to frustration or anger

How'd you get so smart?
A note of sarcasm, implying that the person being addressed is not as intelligent as they might think

Tell the men just what you crave
Being bold and communicative about one's desires

Some you give and some you take
Relationships involve a balance of giving and receiving

Laced up, summed up
Appearances can be deceiving; things may not be what they seem

Never thought you'd actually cave
The person being addressed is succumbing to pressure or expectations, contrary to their previous beliefs

I'm not that skinny or tall
A declaration of self-acceptance; rejecting unrealistic societal expectations

This is redressing a wrong
Standing up for oneself and one’s own identity

Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Ian Docherty, Peter Goyette Dreimanis, Leah Fay Goldstein, Daniel P Miles, Josh Earl Warburton

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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