Meanjin/Brissy indie punks Semantics have announced their ‘Paint Me Blue’ headline tour, charging up the East Coast of Australia in October. Touring in celebration of their debut album of the same name, the band has also gifted us with their new video Didn’t Wanna Hurt You out now via SideOneDummy / Cooking Vinyl Australia.
From the very first note, Didn’t Wanna Hurt You stomps its foot on the accelerator and leaves it there for the entire two-and-a-half minutes. A spirited emo/punk rock tune steeped in mid-2000s nostalgia, Didn’t Wanna Hurt You is a high-energy sad song about leaving a relationship due to sheer exhaustion. The wonderfully vivid lyrics are brought to life by an outstanding vocal performance, unforgettable melodies and gang vocals in all the right places.
“This song is one of the gnarlier breakup songs in the album. I wrote it with some pretty raw and immediate feelings, I think it was a good time to be writing emo songs,†offers vocalist Callum Robinson. “We wanted to keep the video super simple, just a moody aesthetic and straight performance shots. Our director Harley Jones’ work on the camera angles made it really fun to watch!â€
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.
Celebrated for its willingness to explore difficult themes with unflinching honesty, upon its release, ‘Paint Me Blue’ left a lasting impression with NME naming it as one of their top picks for the month, while Good Call Live said the album is “one of the most important releases of the year†and Pario Mag quite simply declared: “this band is going to be hugeâ€.
Currently whipping around Australia supporting Between You and Me, the next stop on Semantics’ itinerary is an in-store performance at Sonic Sherpa in Brisbane on August 27 where the band will be signing copies of their new record as well as performing some cuts. After that they’ll embark on their long-awaited headline tour, kicking off in Melbourne on October 13.
SEMANTICS ‘PAINT ME BLUE’ TOUR
SUPPORTED BY HOT RENO
TICKETS ON SALE NOW AT SEMANTICSBAND.COM
Thursday October 13 – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne
Friday October 14 – Chippendale Hotel, Sydney
Saturday October 22 – Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane
SEMANTICS – ‘PAINT ME BLUE’
Out Now via SideOneDummy / Cooking Vinyl Australia – LISTEN / BUY HERE
Connect with SEMANTICS
With thanks to Deathproof PR
