After recording a 7-track demo in 1995, the band signed to Murmur Records, a subsidiary of Sony. In 1996, they released the 7-track EP The Answer to Both Your Questions, recorded and mixed by Greg Atkinson of Sydney band Big Heavy Stuff.
In November of 1996, the 3-track single "Dean Martin" was released. Early in 1997, the band released a 5-track EP titled Intermission as they recorded their first album, Elsewhere for Eight Minutes, in New Zealand and mixed and mastered it in New York with U.S. producer Brian Paulson. (Brian had previously produced albums for Wilco, Archers of Loaf, Superchunk and Slint, amongst others.) Something for Kate's first full-length album was released in July of 1997. Bass player Julian Carroll was then replaced by Toby Ralph, who toured with the band for the release of the album.
Four singles were released from Elsewhere for Eight Minutes: "Captain (Million miles an hour)", "Prick", "Working Against Me" and "Roll Credit". Bass player Toby Ralph was replaced by Stephanie Ashworth (of Melbourne outfit Sandpit) in March 1998. The band then wrote their second album, Beautiful Sharks, which was released in April of 1999. Beautiful Sharks was recorded in Melbourne, once again by producer Brian Paulson.
Four singles were released from Beautiful Sharks: "Electricity", "Hallways", "Whatever You Want" and "The Astronaut". When the band went on the road with this album they took on an extra touring musician, Wally Gunn, to play the incidental guitar and keyboard parts.
In 2000, as the band were writing for their third album, Murmur released Q & A With Dean Martin, a re-release of the sold-out first EP and single. Also released in 2000 was Big Screen Television, a video collection of 12 of the band's music videos along with some bonus footage.
In June of 2001, the third album, Echolalia, was released. Produced by the band and Trina Shoemaker (whose other recording credits include Queens of the Stone Age, REM, Whiskeytown and Sheryl Crow), Echolalia was recorded at INXS bass-player Garry Gary Beers' Mangrove studio in the Central Coast of NSW.
Four singles were released from Echolalia: "Monsters", "Three Dimensions", "Twenty Years" and "Say Something". When touring this album, the band took on two touring musicians, Pip Branson (ex Sydney band Sidewinder) and Simon Bourke, again, to play the increasing amount of keyboards and extra guitar parts featured on the album.
In 2002 the band released their first DVD, A Diversion, which is a document of the writing, recording and touring of the Echolalia album.
In 2003 the band recorded and released their fourth album, The Official Fiction. Produced once again by the band and Trina Shoemaker at Mangrove studios, it spawned the singles "Deja Vu", "Song for a Sleepwalker", "Best Weapon" and "Moving Right Along".
After supporting David Bowie on the Australian leg of his Reality Tour, the band toured Europe in 2004, taking in Germany, France, Denmark, Scotland, Ireland and the UK, before returned to Australia to release Phantom Limbs, a double album of the band members' and their fans' favourite b-side tracks from over the years.
On the 30th of June 2006, Something for Kate released their fifth album, Desert Lights. Since then, Something for Kate has released 2 singles, Cigarettes and Suitcases which was released on the 5th of May 2006, just under 2 months before the second EP, Oh Kamikaze which was released on the 1st of September 2006.
Slow
Something for Kate Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Slap me and I'll shut up
Split some milk on the table
Can you help me clean it up?
I think too much
Find something that'll fit me
And you won't hear another word
I'd appreciate it if you'd hit me
I want too much
I never asked you for much (x2)
But I always took way too much
Now I'm stuck here in a cartoon
With a bubble by my head
So you can write in exactly
What you'd like me to have said
And I could stand on my head
But will it do me any good?
Ask you to explain again
But I don't think you would
Would you? (x4)
The lyrics to Something for Kate's song "Slow" are about feeling stuck in a perpetual state of immaturity and helplessness, and desperately seeking someone to guide and teach them. The opening lines, "Behaving like a ten year old, slap me and I'll shut up," suggest a sense of childishness and the desire for someone else to take charge. The line, "Can you help me clean it up?" hints at a need for assistance and guidance, as if the singer cannot handle even basic tasks alone.
The repeated lines of "I think too much" and "I want too much" suggest a sense of overthinking and overreaching, as if the singer is prone to getting stuck inside their own head and fixated on things that are out of their reach. They acknowledge that they've "never asked you for much" but still end up taking "way too much" from others. This can be interpreted as a plea for understanding and patience from those around them, a recognition of their own flaws and limitations, and a desire to do better.
The final lines of the song introduce an element of surrealism, with the image of the singer trapped in a cartoon bubble, unable to communicate effectively with the outside world. The repeated question of "would you?" at the end of the song implies a sense of frustration and desperation, as if the singer is pleading for someone, anyone, to step in and help them escape their own limitations.
Overall, "Slow" is a deeply introspective and vulnerable song that examines the complexities of the human condition, particularly the struggle to overcome one's own limitations and the need for support and guidance from others.
Line by Line Meaning
Behaving like a ten year old
Acting childish, immature
Slap me and I'll shut up
I'll stop talking if you hit me
Split some milk on the table
Spilled milk on the table
Can you help me clean it up?
Asking for assistance in cleaning the spilled milk
I think too much
Overthinking things
Find something that'll fit me
Find something that suits me
And you won't hear another word
I'll be content if you find what I'm looking for
I'd appreciate it if you'd hit me
I'd prefer a physical blow than emotional pain
Teach me how to learn
Help me understand how to improve
I want too much
I have excessive desires
I never asked you for much (x2)
I haven't requested a lot from you
But I always took way too much
I've taken more than I deserve
Now I'm stuck here in a cartoon
Feeling trapped in a fantasy world
With a bubble by my head
A thought bubble appears above my head
So you can write in exactly
You can script my words
What you'd like me to have said
You can control what I say
And I could stand on my head
I'm willing to do anything
But will it do me any good?
Will my actions have a positive outcome?
Ask you to explain again
Asking for clarification
But I don't think you would
I doubt you'll answer
Would you? (x4)
Repeatedly questioning if you'll provide an explanation
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, PFIVE Entertainment Mexico
Written by: TYRONE GREGORY FYFFE, GEORGE RAFEIK, GERMAINE WILLIAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind