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."
So Sentimental
Violent Soho Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And let out all the smoke
And you think it collapsed
'Cause everything's your fault
It's ooh, you know
It's who, you know
Call me a sister (you know)
You watched the waves, when the walls
Collapse around a heart
And you think you control
The progress but
It's ooh, you know
It's who, you know
Call me a brother (you know)
Call me a sister (you know)
All the time we wasted it on these plans
All the time we wasted it on these plans
So sentimental
So sentimental
Call me a brother (you know)
Call me a sister (you know)
All the time we wasted it on these plans
All the time we wasted it on these plans
The opening lines of Violent Soho's 'So Sentimental' refer to a moment of clarity, where everything emotional and physical has been swept out of the way, leaving behind an empty and unencumbered room. The singer seems to be acknowledging that everything that they have held onto has been relinquished or destroyed, including their relationships with others. The metaphorical smoke that is cleared from the room suggests that the singer is trying to see things more clearly, yet the bitterness in the following lines shows how difficult it is for them to acknowledge their own faults. They blame themselves for the collapse of everything around them when, in reality, it may not be entirely their fault.
The chorus of the song becomes a plea to the listener. By calling them brother or sister, the singer is trying to gain their empathy and understanding. They are acknowledging that we all have a hand in the destruction of what we hold dear, and that we need each other in order to rebuild. The repetition of 'you know' emphasizes that the singer is not alone and that others can relate to their pain. The second verse uses a metaphor of watching waves and walls collapse around a heart to illustrate how we try to control our emotions and interactions with others, but that control can be an illusion. The final lines again remind us of our regrets, and the time wasted on plans that never came to fruition.
Line by Line Meaning
The day, the room, swept clear
When everything was cleaned up and cleared out, there was nothing left to hide or obscure what really happened.
And let out all the smoke
All the confusion or chaos was finally cleared up and everything became transparent.
And you think it collapsed
It seems like everything fell apart.
'Cause everything's your fault
You're blaming yourself for everything that went wrong.
It's ooh, you know
There's an acknowledgement of something unspoken, but understood between them.
It's who, you know
It's not just what you know, but also who you know that matters.
Call me a brother (you know)
We have a close relationship like siblings.
Call me a sister (you know)
We have a close relationship like siblings.
You watched the waves, when the walls
You witnessed the damage and destruction caused by the situation.
Collapse around a heart
The emotional pain and suffering that resulted from the situation.
And you think you control
You believe you have the power to change the outcome or influence the situation.
The progress but
But in reality, there are many factors outside of your control that dictate the situation's outcome.
All the time we wasted it on these plans
All the effort and energy put into plans that ultimately didn't work out.
So sentimental
The emotions associated with the situation are overwhelming.
Call me a brother (you know)
We have a close relationship like siblings.
Call me a sister (you know)
We have a close relationship like siblings.
All the time we wasted it on these plans
All the effort and energy put into plans that ultimately didn't work out.
So sentimental
The emotions associated with the situation are overwhelming.
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ivan Tineo
[Verse 1]
The day the room swept clear
And let out all the smoke
And you think it collapsed
'Cause everything's your fault
[Pre-Chorus]
It's who you know
It's who you know
[Chorus]
Call me a brother (You know)
Call me a sister (You know)
[Verse 2]
You watched the waves
When the walls collapse around a heart
And you think you control
The progress, but
[Pre-Chorus]
It's who you know
It's who you know
[Chorus]
Call me a brother (You know)
Call me a sister (You know)
All the time we wasted on these plans (You know)
All the time we wasted on these plans (You know)
[Bridge]
So sentimental
So sentimental
[Chorus]
Call me a brother (You know)
Call me a sister (You know)
All the time we wasted on these plans (You know)
All the time we wasted on these plans (You know)
All the time we wasted on these plans (You know)
All the time we wasted on these plans (You know)
a7xunlimited1
how does this video not have 10 million views??? this band is massively underrated
Jarron Pearson
Thank you violent soho. You guys make me feel better about life.
Ivan Tineo
[Verse 1]
The day the room swept clear
And let out all the smoke
And you think it collapsed
'Cause everything's your fault
[Pre-Chorus]
It's who you know
It's who you know
[Chorus]
Call me a brother (You know)
Call me a sister (You know)
[Verse 2]
You watched the waves
When the walls collapse around a heart
And you think you control
The progress, but
[Pre-Chorus]
It's who you know
It's who you know
[Chorus]
Call me a brother (You know)
Call me a sister (You know)
All the time we wasted on these plans (You know)
All the time we wasted on these plans (You know)
[Bridge]
So sentimental
So sentimental
[Chorus]
Call me a brother (You know)
Call me a sister (You know)
All the time we wasted on these plans (You know)
All the time we wasted on these plans (You know)
All the time we wasted on these plans (You know)
All the time we wasted on these plans (You know)
Gax
One of the best songs on Waco. Looking forward to you guys playing the U.S.
Driver 88
This track is like putting on an old pair of comfy shoes..
SLuna
Waco is so fucking cool, and I'm in love with it, I can't wonder what kind of cool stuff you're planning guys, love your music :)
Hayden Coward
Soho cannot make a bad song
surferdude78
90s are back. LOVE IT!
SLuna
Oh this song. I remember perfectly when they uploaded, I was excited, this made me forget a girl. I tried everything to make the things work with her, but it was over, in pieces
nicole cauich carranza
I feel u