''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, which formed in 1995 by Pat Davern on guitar, Joe Hansen on bass guitar, Kristian Hopes on drums and frontman Phil Jamieson on vocals and guitar. Also in that year, Grinspoon ...

, and was released on 21 September 1998 via

Universal Records Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...

. It peaked at number 13 on the

ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian 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 became the offici ...

History and release

In March 1998, Grinspoon moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

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

Creed A creed, also known as a confession of faith, a symbol, or a statement of faith, is a statement of the shared beliefs of a community (often a religious community) which summarizes its core tenets. Many Christian denominations use three creeds ...

, Lit,

Godsmack Godsmack is an American Rock music, rock band from Lawrence, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The band is currently composed of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Sully Erna and bassist Robbie Merrill. Since its formation, Godsmack has released eig ...

and

Anthrax Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Bacillus anthracis'' or ''Bacillus cereus'' biovar ''anthracis''. Infection typically occurs by contact with the skin, inhalation, or intestinal absorption. Symptom onset occurs between one ...

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

Ulrich Wild Ulrich Wild (born December 31, 1969), 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. ...

( White Zombie,

Pantera Pantera () is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Arlington, Texas in 1981 by the Abbott brothers (guitarist Dimebag Darrell and drummer Vinnie Paul), and currently composed of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, an ...

Strung Out Strung Out is an American melodic hardcore band from Simi Valley, California, formed in 1991. Their sound also includes elements of heavy metal. They have released nine studio albums on Fat Wreck Chords as well as one live album, two B-sides ...

), 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'' 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 o ...

radio on 29 June 1999.

Content

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

metal A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...

-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