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.
SomeOne
July Talk Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your favorite deadbeat bar
Your Friday dirty drug, I keep you stuck
Go on and run me down
Turn your face around
Better left unsaid inside your head
Take advantage of
(Ooh, ooh)
Cold water, you need cold water
You need someone, someone (woo)
Well you're nearly there
So cut your hair
You'll be a woman if you try
To keep yourself satisfied
Favorite drug, someone
Take advantage of (ooh)
Favorite drug, someone
Take advantage of
(Ooh, ooh)
Cold water, you need cold water
You need someone, someone
The opening line of July Talk's song, "I'm a stolen car, your favorite deadbeat bar," is a vivid metaphor for a dysfunctional relationship, with the singer likening themselves to an object that has been taken without permission and their partner to a disreputable hangout spot. The next line further emphasizes the idea of addiction and dependence, with the singer claiming to be the "Friday dirty drug" that keeps their partner "stuck." This theme of codependency and emotional attachment to something that might not be healthy or sustainable continues throughout the song.
The chorus adds another layer to the song's meaning, with the repeated phrase "favorite drug, someone" suggesting that the partner's addiction isn't just to the singer, but to the idea of having someone to rely on or care for them. The bridge calls for the partner to make changes and work towards personal fulfillment, rather than relying on others to provide satisfaction. However, the final lines of the song remind the listener that the urge to seek out unhealthy emotional connections never really goes away. The repeated phrase "cold water, you need cold water" serves as a metaphor for a craving or an itch that can't be fully satisfied, driving the partner back to the familiar pattern of wanting and needing someone else.
Overall, "Someone" is a complex and emotionally charged exploration of the dynamics of codependency, addiction, and emotional need. The lyrics are full of vivid imagery and metaphor, creating a sense of both intimacy and distance between the singer and their partner. The chorus and bridge provide a glimmer of hope for change, but the final lines show how difficult it can be to break free from patterns of behavior that feel comfortable, even if they're ultimately unhealthy.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm a stolen car
I am something that has been taken without permission or consent from someone else, just like a car that has been stolen
Your favorite deadbeat bar
I am like the place where you go to unwind, where you prefer to hang out with people who don't fit the traditional norms of society
Your Friday dirty drug, I keep you stuck
I am the thing that you indulge in on a Friday night to keep yourself feeling numb or high, making you forget about your problems for a little while
Go on and run me down
You can criticize me all you want, but that won't change who I am
Turn your face around
You don't have to face me or confront me directly, you can simply ignore me or move on from me
Better left unsaid inside your head
Sometimes it's better to keep your thoughts and feelings to yourself, especially if they won't lead to anything positive
Favorite drug, someone
Like a drug, I am something that you can't get enough of and have become attached to, just like a person you have feelings for
Take advantage of
You are benefiting from my presence or actions, even if it's not entirely good or healthy for you in the long term
(Ooh, ooh)
This is a non-verbal expression of a sound or feeling that can't be described with words
Cold water, you need cold water
You need something to help you cool down or snap out of a certain state of mind or behavior
You need someone, someone (woo)
You need someone to connect with or rely on, whether it's for emotional support or just to share experiences with
Well you're nearly there
You are close to achieving something important or reaching a specific goal
So cut your hair
You need to make a change in your life, starting with something small and simple, like cutting your hair
You'll be a woman if you try
You can become the person you want to be if you make an effort and take action towards that goal
To keep yourself satisfied
You need to prioritize your own needs and wants instead of relying on external factors or other people to make you happy
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
Chris Chaboyer
I’ll NEVER forget seeing these guys back up Metric in 2019. What a hell of a night. July Talk is one banger of a band
Sally Oldford
Haha I went to that tour and left after July Talks set just because I didn't need more after that
•allias•
If you ever get the chance to see them live, take it... Saw them last year and I can say it was easily one the best performances I've ever seen. What I'd give to do it all again
eric thomas
+whimsicalreality1313 seen and met them at the Calgary stampede coolest people I ever met
kira g
Alexia Rea my friend and I saw them live and a music festival and my dad and my sister and her sister were with us, and they didn't know who July Talk was, but they fell in love just from the performance it was that good so I agree with you!
Patricia Lafrance
Saw your performance in Quebec city and you were playing before Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Even though I am a HUGE RHCP fan, I got to say that your show was SO MUCH MORE energetic, passionate and real. You guys are an incredible band (discovery for me!!!) and I am now a fan! Keep up the good work!!!!
Terran OP
I was also there and i gotta say it's true even though i loved RHCP's performance ;)
JérémyCornellier
July Talk were 100000000% better !
James
Their show at OSHEAGA was also incredible. Don't know why they were so early in the day but it let us enjoy them up close and personal! Consistently great band!
alienated
Yeah it was great, Peter nearly fell on me at some point xD