The Get Up Kids were viewed throughout their existence as a prototypical emo band, having been major players in the Midwest emo movement of the mid-1990s.[4] However, like many early emo bands, The Get Up Kids sought to dissociate themselves with the term, as it was considered dismissive to be seen as an "emo band."Years later, guitarist Jim Suptic even apologized for having the influence they did on many of the modern third-wave emo bands, commenting that "the punk scene we came out of and the punk scene now are completely different. It’s like glam rock now . . . If this is the world we helped create, then I apologize.”
Influential Kansas City five piece, The Get Up Kids, return in January 2011 with a new studio album,There Are Rules – the band’s fifth full-length collection, and the first on their own Quality Hill Records imprint.
Seven years after what looked to be their final album Guilt Show, with the group disbanding a year later in 2005 after 10 years of constant touring, The Get Up Kids returned to the studio in 2009, sparked by a spur-of-the-moment decision to start writing songs together again, made while they were rehearsing to promote the tenth anniversary edition of their breakout album ‘Something to Write Home About’.
The first fruits of these new recordings was ‘Simple Science’, released in April 2010 - an EP that burst, unannounced, into the Billboard Top 200. But that was just a taste – a precursor to the full-length album, which Alternative Press magazine, upon hearing a whisper of its existence, placed on their “most anticipated…” list.
The band re-convened at their Black Lodge studio in Eudora, KS at various times in 2010 to complete the recordings, and so ‘There Are Rules’ came to be - twelve new songs that will prove to be both surprising, and familiar. The result is a collection of songs that are fresh and inspired, created by a band that has been given new life and isn’t looking back. In some fashion, the new tracks mark a return to the early days of The Get Up Kids, when they formed fifteen years ago above a drum store in downtown Kansas City. The recording involved lots of analog 2” tape – live takes and a feel for the unexpected. Long time producer Ed Rose was once again seated behind the mixing desk, and the band even turned to Chicago luminary Bob Weston, who recorded their debut, Four Minute Mile, to master the album. “This record came together really organically. We'd throw out an idea and if it didn't work after 30 minutes we'd scrap it and move on to another one. We all wrote together really spontaneously and then fleshed it out with Ed in the studio," says Matt Pryor.
At the same time, ‘There Are Rules’ marks a new chapter for The Get Up Kids, as they return to their independent roots, forming their own label – Quality Hill Records – and reigniting the DIY spirit that originally launched the band onto the worldwide stage. Says Pryor, “"We had a really great relationship with Vagrant but we felt that with the proverbial rebirth of the band we wanted to start our own label. Do everything ourselves like we did in the beginning." And as to naming the imprint? "Quality Hill is a historic neighborhood in Kansas City. It's not far from where we first formed the band. It seems like an appropriate name for the label." And of course, echoing their formative years, there is a 7” single involved. That 45 would be ‘Automatic’ – a limited edition release due in January 2011.
And so, after touring across four continents to sold out crowds too many times to count, after becoming a crucial part of what has been called the “second wave of emo” in the 90’s along with bands like Braid and The Promise Ring and influencing a list of bands as long as your arm, after 15 years, 4 acclaimed studio albums, a collection of rarities, a live record, numerous 7"s and EPs the Kansas City five piece – Matthew Pryor on vocals and guitar, Rob Pope on bass, Jim Suptic on guitars and vocals, James Dewees on keyboards and Ryan Pope on drums - are excited to unveil ‘There Are Rules’ in 2011, proving that the final chapter for The Get Up Kids has yet to be written.
AUTOMATIC
The Get Up Kids Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The circuit's blown
It's just a habit
No, he's not an addict
When all is still, his mind's erratic
Say what you will
He's so dramatic
He wants to lead a life so tragic
Therapy
It's just a habit
No, he's not an addict
Hang up the phone it's time to panic
The bird has flown
He's so dramatic
No, it's automatic
So tell me what you wanna believe
We live like it's a dream
I'm watching you walk all over me
It's automatic
It's automatic
It's automatic
It's automatic
It's automatic
The kid's alone it's time to panic
The circuit's blown
It's just a habit
Yeah, it's automatic
So tell me what you wanna believe
We live like it's a dream
I'm watching you walk all over me
It's automatic
It's automatic
It's automatic
The lyrics to The Get Up Kids' song Automatic explore themes of addiction, habit, drama, and self-awareness. The opening lines depict a child watching static, perhaps signifying a lack of stimulation or fulfillment in life. The repetition of the phrase "it's just a habit" throughout the song may suggest that the singer is engaging in destructive or compulsive behavior despite not considering themselves an addict. The chorus emphasizes the automatic nature of the character's actions and reactions, and their desire for a tragic life is characterized as both a form of therapy and a product of their dramatic tendencies.
The bridge of the song introduces a shift in perspective, as the singer addresses someone else and questions their beliefs and actions. The line "I'm watching you walk all over me" suggests a sense of powerlessness or submissiveness in the singer's relationships. Overall, the lyrics to "Automatic" are introspective and evoke a sense of the inner turmoil that can come from struggling with addiction or anxiety.
Line by Line Meaning
The kid's alone just watching static
The person is feeling lonely and unmotivated, and is resorting to mindlessly watching TV static.
The circuit's blown
It's just a habit
No, he's not an addict
The singer is acknowledging that they have a repetitive behavior that might be unhealthy, but it's not an addiction per se.
When all is still, his mind's erratic
Say what you will
He's so dramatic
Yeah, it's automatic
The singer's thoughts are scattered and restless when everything else is quiet, which might give the impression of being overly-emotional.
He wants to lead a life so tragic
Therapy
It's just a habit
No, he's not an addict
The person craves drama and sadness in their life, and finds themselves in therapy as a repeated pattern, even though they don't consider themselves addicted.
Hang up the phone it's time to panic
The bird has flown
He's so dramatic
No, it's automatic
The person is about to freak out, probably because they lost something/someone, and their behavior might seem exaggerated although they don't feel like they have control over it.
So tell me what you wanna believe
We live like it's a dream
I'm watching you walk all over me
It's automatic
It's automatic
It's automatic
It's automatic
It's automatic
The singer is asking someone to be honest, and is pointing out that their life feels like it's not real, as if they are on autopilot, and they are being taken advantage of by someone who seems to have power over them.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Wayland
A solid pop punk song with a mellow but driving bass groove and some vapor/synthwave/shoegaze elements thrown in.
Midwest_Reader
I totally dig the new album!
thegetupkid
I think this is my favorite song on the new record, nice video!
Karamiehorse
Bad ass song from maybe their best album!! The wait was worth it!!
basshangerman
Looks and sounds KILLER!!
elis
amazing video perfect song <3
To La Fies
The end of the video and the whole new LP is just awesome. If someone their new stuff is crap is because they are stupids who think TGUK should release the same album again and again. Grow up.
Michael Waddell
New direction mean anything, guys? I mean, I too prefer their old stuff, but this isn't bad. It's a new direction.
Bert Sampson
The Get Up Kids are the shit
Todo Con Tu Imagen
Great Song . please coming to Guadalajara Mexico