''Pushing Buttons'' is the third extended play by Australian

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

band

Grinspoon Grinspoon are an Australian rock band from Lismore, New South Wales, formed in 1995 and fronted by Phil Jamieson on vocals and guitar with Pat Davern on guitar, Joe Hansen on bass guitar and Kristian Hopes on drums. Also in 1995, Grinspoon won ...

, and was released on 21 September 1998 via

Universal Records Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

. It peaked at number 13 on the

ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian record chart, music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA beca ...

History and release

In March 1998, Grinspoon moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

and spent much of the year touring the US and Canada, including opening for Creed, Lit,

Godsmack Godsmack is an American rock band from Lawrence, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The band is composed of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Sully Erna, bassist Robbie Merrill, lead guitarist Tony Rombola and drummer Shannon Larkin. Since its fo ...

and

Anthrax Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Bacillus anthracis''. It can occur in four forms: skin, lungs, intestinal, and injection. Symptom onset occurs between one day and more than two months after the infection is contracted. The s ...

. While in the US, Grinspoon recorded two songs, "Black Friday" and "More Than You Are" with

Ulrich Wild Ulrich Wild is an American record producer, engineer and mixer specializing in the rock and metal genres. Born and raised in Switzerland, Ulrich is now a naturalized citizen in the United States, living in Los Angeles, California. In a career th ...

( White Zombie,

Pantera Pantera () is an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas formed in 1981, and currently comprised of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, and touring musicians Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante. The group's best-known lineup consist ...

Strung Out Strung Out is an American punk rock band from Simi Valley, California, formed in 1989. They are known mainly for their musical style, which fuses aspects of melodic punk rock, progressive rock and heavy metal to form their primary sound. They ...

), which formed the basis of ''Pushing Buttons''. The band returned to Australia in September to release ''Pushing Buttons'', which peaked at No. 13 on the

. It also reached No. 80 on the ARIA End of Year Charts for 1998 and was certified gold. ''Pushing Buttons'' was not released in the United States, but "Black Friday" and "More Than You Are" were included on the US version of ''

Guide to Better Living ''Guide to Better Living'' is the debut studio album by Australian rock band Grinspoon. It was released on 16 September 1997 on the Grudge Records label (an imprint of Universal Music Australia) and was produced by Phil McKellar. The album re ...

'' and "Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck" is on an ECW compilation released by

Earache Records Earache Records is a British independent record label, music publisher and management company founded by Digby Pearson in 1985, based in Nottingham, England, with offices in London and New York. The label helped to pioneer extreme metal by r ...

. "More Than You Are" was serviced to US

mainstream Mainstream may refer to: Film * ''Mainstream'' (film), a 2020 American film Literature * ''Mainstream'' (fanzine), a science fiction fanzine * Mainstream Publishing, a Scottish publisher * ''Mainstream'', a 1943 book by Hamilton Basso ...

and

active rock Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock stations play a balance of new hard rock songs with valued classic rock favorites, normally with an emphasis on the harder edge ...

radio on 29 June 1999.

Content

''Pushing Buttons'' features a heavier sound than their earlier work, with a

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typi ...

-inspired re-recording of "More Than You Are" (previously recorded for the '' Green Album''), and the songs "Black Friday" and "Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck". "Snap Your Fingers, Break Your Neck" is a cover of a song by American heavy metal band Prong (which was included on that band's 1994 album, '' Cleansing''). The other songs are a lot lighter. "Black Friday" received significant airplay and was voted in at No. 22 on the Triple J's Hottest 100 for 1998.

History and release

Content

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References