Violent Soho toured with Faker and Grafton Primary in May 2008, playing songs from their first full length album We Don't Belong Here, which was released on 7 June 2008 on the Emergency Music label. Following the release they toured all around Australia, then played shows in London, New York and Los Angeles in November 2008 before returning home to play more shows and summer festivals, such as Homebake, The Meredith Music Festival, Falls Festival and Southbound Festival.
On 20 February 2009, Violent Soho announced on their MySpace page that they had signed an "overwhelmingly exciting" deal with Ecstatic Peace! Records, a record company headed by Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore, a hero of the band. They also signaled their intention to spend much of 2009 touring Australia, touring and recording in the US, and mentioned that a new album that "elaborated" on the material recorded for We Don't Belong Here was due for worldwide release in the third quarter of 2009. On 19 December 2009, the band announced that they would release a limited-edition EP containing re-recorded versions of "Bombs Over Broadway" and "Son of Sam", which would initially only be for sale at US tour dates.
The band would later part ways with Moore's label and in 2013 Boerdam stated:
Being on Thurston Moore's label doesn't happen that often for an Australian band. It gave us a great sense of validation as a band. Just being able to quit your day job and tour for 18 months made us better. Whether it results in Facebook likes or record sales I don't care, the real impact was more personal.
On 9 March 2010, Violent Soho released a second, self-titled album on Ecstatic Peace! The album was produced by Gil Norton, who previously worked with the Pixies, and the single "Jesus Stole My Girlfriend" was released from it.
Violent Soho performed at the 2011 Laneway Festival, followed by an Australian tour supporting Australian alternative rock band Jebediah in mid-2011. The band was then chosen by Les Savy Fav to perform at the ATP Nightmare Before Christmas festival that they co-curated in December 2011 in Minehead, England, UK.
The band toured with English band Arctic Monkeys in early 2012 during the same period that the band members returned to Australia. Violent Soho was nominated for an ARIA Award that year and Tidswell revealed in an October 2013 interview that he received congratulations from friends while on his way to seek employment at a local McDonalds store, as the band was no longer signed to a label and was without any financial support at the time.
The band then signed to the Melbourne-based Australian independent record label "I Oh You" and released a new single called "Tinderbox" on 27 August 2012. In November 2012, an Australian tour coincided with the release of the double-single "Tinderbox"/"Neighbour Neighbour".
In April 2013, the band revealed via their Facebook account that they were in the process of recording their next full-length album. The album was produced by Brisbane producer Bryce Moorhead and recorded at Moorhead's Shed Studios.
In July 2013, Violent Soho announced that their next album is entitled Hungry Ghost and will be released on the I Oh You label on 6 September 2013—the first single, "In The Aisle", was released on 8 July 2013. Regarding the sound of the album, Boerdam asserted in an October 2013 interview: "There's no reason to lock the band down to that grunge label which we were constantly given, despite us never using that word. We realised that we didn't care, as long as we were happy with the music we were making."
A video for the song "In The Aisle" was released on 16 July 2013. Directed by Tristan Houghton, the video documents a nude cyclist riding around Brisbane distributing flyers for a nude bike ride event. A video for the song "Covered In Chrome", filmed in bass player Luke Henery's house, was released on 16 October 2013. Ideas and imagery in the lyrics for the song were informed by a Wikipedia article about the Hungarian uprising in 1956 which vocalist and guitarist Luke Boerdom had been reading.
The album title was inspired by the book "Culture Jam" by Kalle Lasn. As Luke Boerdom explained in a September 2013 online article, "From memory the term went something like this: “We sit around on couches, buying what we think makes us who we are, like a hungry ghost”. I looked up hungry ghost and it actually comes from traditional Chinese Buddhism. It means to have a non-shakable addiction/desire, and you lose yourself to that desire, you lose your identity." Regarding the general themes of the album's lyrics, Boerdom said: "Throughout the record I play with the idea of escaping a masked reality. I like to explore this concept that we live in a form of hyper-consumer reality and we lack an authentic human experience. In a few songs I try and focus on outsider suburban characters that are usually hidden and outcast by society, reenacting tapping into their reality and what they view as normal."
Covered in Chrome
Violent Soho Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Never come back in a mighty fright
Stay out longer while I can
Picking fossils in the sand
I admire all the games
Another asshole lights the flame
Rusted clotheslines in the sun
With smile the greatest written smile
No one to complain
Written in chrome and gore it's all the same
Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
All I ever wanted was a piece to myself
All I ever wanted was a nine to five
People hide what they feel inside
So they'll cover it up til it's grey and dry
A pussy is a piece of skin wrapped in a pocket
All the king's men fell down on their knees
Raised their arms to the leader outside
Praising the devil they said
Hell fuck yeah!
Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
I can't fight it I can't hide
Will you take me over
Little devil run around inside
Will you take me under
I can't breathe if I cannot see
I can't see if I cant breathe
All I ever wanted was an afternoon
A middle class and an open sky
They rushed in the square with the paper alight
They pushed down a statue and spat on its side
A feeling is a piece of skin wrapped in a pocket
All the king's men fell down on their knees
Raised their arms to a leader outside
Praising the devil the said
Hell fuck yeah
Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
I can't fight it I can't hide
Will you take me over
Little devil run around inside
Will you take me under
I can't breathe if I cannot see
I can't see if I can't breathe
Yeah!
Yeah!
Yeah!
Fuck Yeah!
Take me down
Take me down
Take me down!
The lyrics to Violent Soho's song Covered in Chrome appear to be a commentary on society's tendency to hide their true emotions and desires behind a veil of conformity. The first verse suggests a desire to escape and live on the edge, possibly by participating in risky behavior such as driving at night and staying out late. The second verse revolves around the idea that people do not express their true emotions, instead covering them up until they become grey and dry. This is illustrated through the use of the metaphor of a "pussy," or a piece of skin wrapped in a pocket, which can be interpreted as a reference to repressed emotions or desires.
The chorus features a repetitive chant of "yeah!" which could be interpreted as a release of pent-up frustration or a primal scream. The line "will you take me over" suggests a surrender to one's innermost desires or to a higher power. The repeated line "I can't breathe if I cannot see, I can't see if I can't breathe" could signify the suffocating feeling of conformity and lack of freedom to express oneself.
The final verse references a violent event in the square, where a statue is pushed down and spat on. This could be interpreted as a metaphor for the destruction of ideals or values. The final repetition of "take me down" could be a reference to a violent, exciting experience or a surrender to one's innermost desires.
Line by Line Meaning
Will I drive out in the night
Am I going to go on a late night drive?
Never come back in a mighty fright
Will I return after fearlessly exploring?
Stay out longer while I can
Should I continue to spend more time outside?
Picking fossils in the sand
And look for ancient things to discover?
I admire all the games
I appreciate all the different things to do
Another asshole lights the flame
Someone reckless always starts something dangerous
Rusted clotheslines in the sun
The wear and tear of life is constantly visible
Noise control, I've sunken out
The environment consumes me and quiets my thoughts
With smile the greatest written smile
A happy face that shows no signs of inner turmoil
No one to complain
There's no reason to speak out about any issues
Written in chrome and gore it's all the same
Whether it's beautiful or brutal, life is still life
All I ever wanted was a piece to myself
I just want to enjoy some alone time
All I ever wanted was a nine to five
Having a stable job is all I need
People hide what they feel inside
Many keep their true feelings to themselves
So they'll cover it up til it's grey and dry
And leave their true feelings to wither away
A pussy is a piece of skin wrapped in a pocket
They mock the idea of masculinity
All the king's men fell down on their knees
Powerful people sometimes give in to their desires
Raised their arms to the leader outside
They worship those in control
Praising the devil they said
And follow destructive behaviors
Hell fuck yeah!
They find joy in causing chaos
I can't fight it I can't hide
I feel overwhelmed and exposed
Will you take me over
Will someone take control of me?
Little devil run around inside
The dark parts of myself are ever-present
Will you take me under
Will someone be responsible for me?
I can't breathe if I cannot see
If I lose sight, I feel trapped and anxious
I can't see if I can't breathe
If I can't breathe, I feel disoriented and helpless
A middle class and an open sky
A comfortable lifestyle and open landscape
They rushed in the square with the paper alight
A mob of people with burning pamphlets in hand
They pushed down a statue and spat on its side
They destroy monuments dedicated to their enemy
A feeling is a piece of skin wrapped in a pocket
They are making light of emotions once again
Take me down!
They crave the rush of controlled destruction
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: LUKE BOERDAM, LUKE HENERY, MICHAEL RICHARDS, JAMES TIDSWELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@bertmclin
Will I drive out
In the night
Never come back
In a mighty fright
Stay out longer while I can
Picking fossils in the sand
I admire all the games
Another asshole lights the flame
Rusted clotheslines in the sun
Noise control, I'm sunken
I will smile
The greatest written smile
No one to complain
Written in chrome and gore
It's all the same
YEAH YEAH YEAH x5
All I ever wanted was a piece to myself
All I ever wanted was a nine to five
People hide what they feel inside
So they'll cover it up till it's grey and dry
A pussy is a piece of skin wrapped in a pocket
All the king's men fell down on their knees
Raise their arms to the leader outside
Praising the devil they said
Hell fuck yeah
YEAH YEAH YEAH x5
I can't fight it
I can't hide
Will you take me over
Little devils run around outside
Will you take me under
I can't breath if I cannot see
I can't see if I can't breathe
All I ever wanted was an afternoon
A middle class and an open sky
They rushed in the square with a paper alight
Pushed down the statue and spat on it's side
A feeling is a piece of skin wrapped in a pocket
All the king's men fell down on their knees
Raise their arms to a leader outside
Praising the devil they said
Hell fuck yeah
YEAH YEAH YEAH x5
I can't fight it
I can't hide
Will you take me over
Little devil run around outside
Will you take me under
I can't breath if I cannot see
I can't see if I can't breathe
Yeah, yeah, yeah,fuck yeah
Take me down x3
@MrTGFridays
Will I drive out in the night
Never come back in a mighty fright
Stay out longer while I can
Picking fossils in the sand
I admire all the games
Another asshole lights the flame
Rusted clotheslines in the sun
Noise control, I've sunken
I will smile
The greatest written smile
No one to complain
Written in chrome and gore
It's all the same
Yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah
All I ever wanted was a piece to myself
All I ever wanted was a nine to five
People hide what they feel inside
So they'll cover it up till it's grey and dry
A pussy is a piece of skin wrapped in a pocket
All the king's men fell down on their knees
Raise their arms to the leader outside
Praising the devil they said
Hell fuck yeah
Yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah
I can't fight it
I can't hide
Will you take me over
Little devil run around inside
Will you take me under
I can't breathe if I cannot see
I can't see if I can't breathe
All I ever wanted was an afternoon
A middle class and an open sky
They rushed in the square with a paper alight
They pushed down a statue and spat on its side
A feeling is a piece of skin wrapped in a pocket
All the king's men fell down on their knees
Raise their arms to a leader outside
Praising the devil they said
Hell fuck yeah
Yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah
I can't fight it
I can't hide
Will you take me over
Little devil run around inside
Will you take me under
I can't breathe if I cannot see
I can't see if I can't breathe
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
Fuck yeah
Take me down
Take me down
Take me down
@Bobbytrainwreck
This is my neighbors favorite song wether they like it or not.
@felixxromano
Ahahahahhahahhaha
@arvy9254
😂
@fajriarmansya5541
Hoahahahahaha
@justinoneill8625
😵😵😵😵😵😵😵
@jimmy_on_the_go9085
Yeah same mate
@DrumRoody
Grunge isn't dead, its just been packing cones in Brissy
@jd16596
+DrumRoody Conessss lad
@DrumRoody
a few months ago, yes.
@leviellis5917
😅