Cathartic and emotive post-punk group SEMANTICS has unveiled their new single “Embrace Monotony” as well as its visual companion. Their debut full-length “Paint Me Blue” is now available worldwide via renowned Los Angeles-based indie record label SideOneDummy Records.
Also, the band has been featured on numerous Spotify-curated playlists including All New Rock, Local Noise, Rock Out, Smells Like Stream Spirit and Alternative Noise as well as Apple Music-curated playlists The New Rock, Negative Space and Fresh Blood.
“‘Embrace Monotony’ was written early into the 2020 lockdown,” says vocalist and guitarist Callum Robinson. “We were cooped up in our place in Oxley for a long time, and we live on a main road. It went eerily quiet during the lockdown. No cars, no one walking, just restless pets and families in hermit mode. It was a really depressing environment in contrast to the beautiful, lively community Oxley is so proud of. Just to add to the sads, I was listening to heaps of Springsteen and loved the melancholic guitar work on his early albums.”
“For the video, we really just wanted to be creative,” adds Robinson. “The band and some close friends doused me head to toe in paint for the most chaotic two minutes ever. Overall it was a huge success and looks awesome, but I was washing bright orange paint out of my right ear for a week.”
Semantics debut album, “Paint Me Blue”, is a stunning and powerful debut that will stay with you long after the final song fades. Produced by the band and mixed and mastered by Grammy-nominated producer Jack Shirley (Deafheaven, Jeff Rosenstock, Joyce Manor), “Paint Me Blue” was recorded in a purpose-built studio constructed by the band themselves. The result is an expertly crafted album that showcases their impeccable songwriting and mastery of punk and indie sensibilities that lands somewhere between the post-punk of Title Fight and Joyce Manor, the all-consuming emo of Ceres and the iconic Aussie flair of Luca Brasi.
Semantics is a 4-piece Australian post-punk band from Southeast Queensland / Meanjin. Keeping in line with punk-rock philosophy, Semantics spares no effort in connecting with their listeners on a personal level both on and off the stage to remind fans that it’s ‘alright if you’re not alright’. Since their pivotal stand-alone single “Cemeteries” debuted on Triple J in May of 2018, Semantics has been hard at work refining their craft to match their newfound direction. In 2019, things started to progress for the band when Triple J gave the group a spot on the Triple J Unearthed Stage at Big Sound, leading their single “Drunk” to be picked up by radio stations and streaming sites. Currently, the song sits at over 700k Spotify streams. With 2 EPs and a multitude of singles under their belt and a completed sold-out tour with Sly Withers and Columbus, the Brisbane quartet released their next single “Sleep At Night” in July of 2021, and embarked on an Australian tour including dates in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.
Semantics is Callum Robinson (vocals, guitar), Maddy Tunstall (bass), and Mitch Lawrence (drums). Their debut album “Paint Me Blue” was released today via SideOneDummy Records.
