Action

Album: Single release only (2019)
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Songfacts®:

  • "Action" came out of Don Broco wanting a fun song that doesn't follow any rules. Frontman Rob Damiani explained to Kerrang it originated from a beat that the band were jamming in the studio. Meanwhile, Damiani was going through stuff on his phone trying to find a photo from the group's "Greatness" video. The singer came across a behind-the-scenes film from the shoot where the director shouts "Action!" When Don Broco applied the recording to the song they found it perfectly fitted the beat and sound.
  • Lyrically, the song is about feeling alive, living life to the full and not letting anyone hold you back, Damiani told Kerrang: "What holds it together is this acceptance of mortality. We're all going to die at some point, and Action is about embracing the notion that life is short and fleeting, and it's something worth making the most of. Whether it's in terms of career and life plans, or simply saying yes to going out rather than staying at home and watching Netflix, the idea of taking a leap and living in the moment really sums up the message of 'Action.'"
  • The song features guest vocals from Issues' Tyler Carter, Beartooth's Caleb Shomo, Dance Gavin Dance's Tilian Pearson and ONE OK ROCK'S Taka Moriuchi. Damiani recalled how the collaborations came about:

    "Tyler from Issues was a good friend that summer and someone I spent a lot of time with, and the initial idea for Action was to get him on it so he could come up onstage when we played subsequent shows with them. We couldn't get everything sorted in time for our touring together after Warped, but the idea was there.

    Fast-forward a few months and we had Tyler on board, as well as Caleb from Beartooth, who came to Tom's (Doyle, bassist) house when they were in town for their Wembley show with Architects, and within half an hour he'd laid down some awesome vocals.

    Two weeks later we left for a U.S. tour with Dance Gavin Dance, and we subsequently became friends with their singer, Tillian, and asked him to get involved.

    Taka from ONE OK ROCK was someone we'd wanted to work with for a long time, and it seemed fitting that, as one of our first ever shows outside of the UK was in Japan with his band, we should ask him to guest on Action, too, particularly because we love all the ONE OK ROCK guys. Including Matt (Donnelly, drums and backing vocals) and myself, that totals six vocalists on Action, and it results in this constant onslaught of different voices. The whole process was just bonkers, basically!"

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