Smoko

Album: Get This In Ya!! (2017)
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Songfacts®:

  • A "smoko" is an Australian term for a smoke break, although you don't have to smoke to take one. The song tells a disjointed story: In the first verse, lead singer Eamon Sandwith encounters a guy on a milk crate who demands to be left alone because he's on smoko. In the next verse, he calls Centrelink (the agency that doles out government benefits in Australia) to yell at them because his money hasn't arrived. What's clear is that anyone on smoko wants to be left alone.
  • This low-fi rocker was the breakout hit for The Chats, a trio of teenagers from Queensland who had never been outside of Australia. The low-budget video for the song quickly garnered millions of views when Dave Grohl circulated it. When Josh Homme saw it, he talked up the band and had The Chats open for his group Queens Of The Stone Age when they came to Australia.
  • The band is known for their devil-may-care attitude, their love of beer, and lead singer Eamon Sandwith's mullet. Guitarist Josh Price (Pricey) claims he has never read an entire book; drummer Matt Boggis says he was kicked out of school for stealing a golf cart.

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