Earlier today (August 26th), Between You & Me continued their assault on Australia’s pop-punk scene with another slice of scorching hot honesty á la smoky acoustic and fiery electric guitars, punchy and strained vocals and just the right touch of soul-numbing bass. ‘Deadbeat’ is the Melbourne band’s second cut for the year – after dropping ‘Supervillain’ back in June – and if these two tracks give us any indication of what to expect from their forthcoming second album, then it goes without saying we are in for one hell of a treat.
Per frontman Jake Wilson, ‘Deadbeat’ is about realising you’ve been a shit partner and disseminating why that is, figuring out that although long stints of touring can make those rare blocks of alone time extra lucrative, forced isolation can have a perilous effect on personal relationships. In a press release, Wilson said: “Being in a band, I am often away from home for long periods of time. Whilst at home, I also found myself prioritising my own endeavours over my relationship. During the pandemic, I was able to spend a lot more time with my girlfriend, and I felt a sense of remorse for the unwavering support that she gave me whilst I was absorbed in my own career. ‘Deadbeat’ is a self-reflection of my behaviours as a boyfriend, and how I recognised I needed to do better.”
Take a listen to ‘Deadbeat’ below:
‘Deadbeat’ and ‘Supervillain’ will both pop up on Between You & Me’s as-yet-untitled second album, set to land sometime this year on Hopeless Records. We don’t know much about the record, but we do know that it was produced by Canadian superstar Sam Guiana, who the band secured a special permit to fly Down Under mid-pandemic (further proving that BY&M are one of our most important exports). We also know the band themselves are extremely proud of it – we’re sure they wouldn’t be lining it up for release if they weren’t – calling it their most collaborative effort to date.
“If this was going to be our last ever record,” Wilson said, “I wanted it to be a body of work that I could reflect on fondly – regardless of how ‘successful’ it was.”
To celebrate the single’s release, we asked the band what songs they reckon we should check out after giving ‘Deadbeat’ our first spin. Each of the five members gave us their own pick, with all five of them coming together to form a playlist for the ages. In this writer’s opinion, Wilson scores top marks with a soon-to-be-classic from Teenage Joans’ debut EP, with bassist James Karagiozis coming in a close second with an absolute rager of a pop-punk throwback…
VIOLENT SOHO – ‘COVERED IN CHROME’
When we were writing the chorus for ‘Deadbeat’, the placeholder lyrics were, “Deadbeat, trash heap.” We talked about how bogan those lyrics sounded, and I reflected on a line in our single ‘Dakota’ which has the lyric, “Piss right off.” I was strongly against those lyrics being in the song, but my opinion was met with strong opposition. The lyric stayed in the song and even ended up on a shirt, which sold extremely well. The chorus of ‘Covered In Chrome’ reminds me that even the lyrics “hell fuck yeah” can make for a memorable chorus.
– Jai Gibson (guitars)
KEEP READING: Violent Soho: Everything is fine, OK?
TEENAGE JOANS – ‘WINE’
This song has been stuck in my head since the first time I heard it. I feel like Teenage Joans have a similar kind of energy to us! I’m a massive sucker for vocal melody hooks without words. I’m backing these legends for the Hottest 100 this year, and hopefully one day we can tour with them.
– Jake Wilson (vocals)
KEEP READING: Teenage Joans: High school, heartbreak and hunger
SEAWAY – ‘PATHETIC’
When we were recording ‘Deadbeat’, the latest Seaway record (Big Vibe) had recently been released, and it was one I had on regular rotation. What I really love about this track is that there are so many different elements that make up the song – the catchy sections, heavy sections, some cool chord movements – and together it all keeps you locked in from start to finish.
– Chris Bowerman (guitars)
THE ALL-AMERICAN REJECTS – ‘GIVES YOU HELL’
The working title for ‘Deadbeat’ was ‘Gives You Hezz’ as that was the vibe I was envisaging for it when we were writing it. I wanted ‘Deadbeat’ to be like ‘Gives You Hell’ cranked to 11. The way that The All-American Rejects create dynamic to explode from their verses into the chorus is tasty.
– James Karagiozis (bass)
NINE DAYS – ‘ABSOLUTELY (STORY OF A GIRL)’
The catalyst of ‘Deadbeat’ was to write something that was not that technical from a songwriting perspective, but something that had an unforgettable chorus and catchy verses. This track certainly is hooky, yet simplistic.
– Jamey Bowerman (drums)
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