originally published: 04/27/2022

Brisbane's cathartic and emotive post-punk group Semantics has unveiled the music video for “This Love Could Kill You”, the second single off of their debut full-length album Paint Me Blue, which is due out on May 20th via SideOneDummy Records.

“This Love Could Kill You” is a delicate look at domestic violence and abuse, with the goal to bring awareness to the warning signs we should be looking out for. Semantics believe it’s more important than ever to ask: ‘are we paying attention?’

“We sadly have multiple friends who have been victims of domestic violence and abuse,'' explains vocalist Callum Robinson. “The perspective in this song switches between the victim and the friend as we investigate abuse. The goal is to shed light on the red flags we wished we had seen as friends of these victims and hopefully bring attention to the disturbing frequency of these relationships. The subject matter is sensitive, and it’s really hard to connect artistically as an outsider to these events, but as most people fall in the outsider ratio, it’s important for us to bring these signs to the forefront and ask the question, are we paying attention? We hope the song connects from an angle we haven’t been exposed to enough ourselves.”

Paint Me Blue was produced by Grammy-nominated producer Jack Shirley (Deafheaven, Joyce Manor, Jeff Rosenstock) and showcases their mastery of punk and indie sensibilities with a distinctive Aussie flair. Lyrically, the band delves into mental illness and environmental depression. “Each song is discussing a facet of life as a young Australian in today’s world, whether it’s juggling work with study, opening a dialogue about mental health or just dealing with the heat,” says Robinson. Order/Pre-Save the album here.

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 650k 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. The Brisbane quartet is set to release their debut album Paint Me Blue on May 20, 2022 via SideOneDummy Records. Semantics is Callum Robinson (vocals, guitar), Maddy Tunstall (bass), and Mitch Lawrence (drums).