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.
Touch
July Talk Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You told me to fit right in
Where I was needed most
We had to wait, anticipate and come of age
We had to keep each other in a cage
On the stage, on the stage, on the stage
Don't want to give myself away too much
There's no good way to say goodbye
We got everything to lose, nothing to hide
Got to give and take and give and take
It's best to save all you crave for the stage
We get so tired and lonely
We all need a human touch
Don't want to give ourselves away too much
Touch
Touch
I want to make some space underneath my skin
Cut me open, I can let you in
Should I let myself be torn in two?
And will you give into that side of you?
We get so tired and lonely
We need a human touch
Don't want to give ourselves away too much
Touch
Don't want to give ourselves away too much
Touch
Don't want to give ourselves away too much
Touch
We get so tired and lonely
We'll need a human touch
Don't want to give ourselves away too much
Touch
We get so tired and lonely
We need a human touch
Don't want to give ourselves away too much
T-t-t-touch
We get so tired and lonely
Screaming out for your touch
Don't want to give ourselves away too much
T-t-t-t-t-t-touch
Don't want to give myself away too much
T-t-touch (Screaming out for your touch)
Don't want to give myself away too much
Touch
Don't want to give myself away too much
T-t-t-t-t-t-touch
Don't want to give myself away too much
Touch
The song "Touch" by July Talk explores themes of intimacy, vulnerability, and the fear of giving in and getting hurt. The first lines of the song, "No one gets to get this close/You told me to fit right in/Where I was needed most" sets up the idea that the singer has been instructed to fit into a particular mold or role. The following line, "We had to keep each other in a cage/On the stage, on the stage, on the stage" suggests that this prescribed role is one that is publicly performed or put on display, akin to a performance on a stage.
The chorus "Don't want to give myself away too much/Touch" echoes this fear of vulnerability and getting too close, emphasizing that the singer wants to keep a certain distance despite the desire for human connection. The lines "There's no good way to say goodbye/We got everything to lose, nothing to hide" adds to this sense of apprehension, referencing the potential loss that can come from opening up and being vulnerable.
Overall, "Touch" is a complex song that explores the push and pull of human intimacy and the fear of vulnerability. The repeated phrase "Don't want to give myself away too much" highlights this tension, while the use of theatrical imagery and metaphors adds a layer of depth to the song.
Line by Line Meaning
No one gets to get this close
You've informed me nobody can come near.
You told me to fit right in
You directed me to conform.
Where I was needed most
At the point of highest demand.
We had to wait, anticipate and come of age
We were required to be patient, foresee our future and mature.
We had to keep each other in a cage
We were compelled to restrain each other's freedom.
On the stage, on the stage, on the stage
In front of a crowd or an audience.
Don't want to give myself away too much
I don't want to reveal too much of myself to you.
Touch
Physical contact or a sensation of pressure or heat.
There's no good way to say goodbye
Farewell has no effective method.
We got everything to lose, nothing to hide
We have everything in jeopardy and no secrets among ourselves.
Got to give and take and give and take
We must offer and receive in equal measures.
It's best to save all you crave for the stage
It's appropriate to keep all your wants for the performance.
We get so tired and lonely
We become exhausted and isolated.
We all need a human touch
We all crave an intimate connection.
I want to make some space underneath my skin
I wish to reserve some privacy.
Cut me open, I can let you in
If you cut me open, I'll expose my true feelings to you.
Should I let myself be torn in two?
Do I let my conflicting emotions tear me apart?
And will you give into that side of you?
You're being asked if you will give in to your own desires.
Screaming out for your touch
Expression of a fervent desire for physical contact.
T-t-t-t-t-t-touch
A repetition of 'Touch' sound effect.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Peter Dreimanis, Danny Miles, Ian Docherty, Josh Warburton, Leah Fay
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Shawna Loo
Lyrics:
No one gets to get this close
You told me to fit right in
Where I was needed most
We had to wait, anticipate and come of age
We had to keep each other in a cage
On the stage, on the stage, on the stage
Don't want to give myself away too much
Touch
There's no good way to say goodbye
We got everything to lose, nothing to hide
Got to give and take and give and take
It's best to save all you crave for the stage
We get so tired and lonely
We all need a human touch
Don't want to give ourselves away too much
Touch
Touch
I want to make some space underneath my skin
Cut me open, I can let you in
Should I let myself be torn in two?
And will you give into that side of you?
We get so tired and lonely
We need a human touch
Don't want to give ourselves away too much
Touch
Don't want to give ourselves away too much
Touch
Don't want to give ourselves away too much
Touch
We get so tired and lonely
We need a human touch
Don't want to give ourselves away too much
Touch
We get so tired and lonely
We need a human touch
Don't want to give ourselves away too much
T-t-t-touch
We get so tired and lonely
Screaming out for your touch
Don't want to give ourselves away too much
T-t-t-t-t-t-touch
Don't want to give myself away too much
T-t-touch (Screaming out for your touch)
Don't want to give myself away too much
Touch
Don't want to give myself away too much
T-t-t-t-t-t-touch
Don't want to give myself away too much
Touch
Shawna Loo
Lyrics:
No one gets to get this close
You told me to fit right in
Where I was needed most
We had to wait, anticipate and come of age
We had to keep each other in a cage
On the stage, on the stage, on the stage
Don't want to give myself away too much
Touch
There's no good way to say goodbye
We got everything to lose, nothing to hide
Got to give and take and give and take
It's best to save all you crave for the stage
We get so tired and lonely
We all need a human touch
Don't want to give ourselves away too much
Touch
Touch
I want to make some space underneath my skin
Cut me open, I can let you in
Should I let myself be torn in two?
And will you give into that side of you?
We get so tired and lonely
We need a human touch
Don't want to give ourselves away too much
Touch
Don't want to give ourselves away too much
Touch
Don't want to give ourselves away too much
Touch
We get so tired and lonely
We need a human touch
Don't want to give ourselves away too much
Touch
We get so tired and lonely
We need a human touch
Don't want to give ourselves away too much
T-t-t-touch
We get so tired and lonely
Screaming out for your touch
Don't want to give ourselves away too much
T-t-t-t-t-t-touch
Don't want to give myself away too much
T-t-touch (Screaming out for your touch)
Don't want to give myself away too much
Touch
Don't want to give myself away too much
T-t-t-t-t-t-touch
Don't want to give myself away too much
Touch
Une voix qui porte
Thanks
Natalli Tancredo
Xpx
cxc
l❤😊❤
Shizzy McCreepy
I remember they opened for Metric in my city and I’d say they overshadowed them. Super awesome to see live
Clover M
They are the Romeo and Juliet of Rock. Tragically beautiful.
Nocturna Persephone
So sensual and hyper emotional can't stop listening
Brandon Lincoln
Deep impactful lyrics...soul shattering rhythm
kim
this song and this whole album is a goddamn masterpiece, i wish everyone had the privilege of knowing your songs exist
Signi
This is such an amazing song
Peter Rempel
Love this band. Thanks for the upload!