In the third most populous city in Australia lives four boys who specialize in punk rock goodness for you and your ears. I am of course talking about Brisbane's very own Semantics and their fun, refreshing style of shredding and crooning. We spoke with them about how they all ended up in a band together, their favorite part about making music, and much much more. Read it all after the jump!
Hi Semantics! How're you guys doing?
We're doing well, nice and hot!
Tell us all about how you ended up in a band together.
Belic and I toured in his hardcore band called She Cries Wolf in late 2015, I filled in on bass. A turn of events would lead to an old member breaking my bass and giving us more reasons to talk and hang out after the tour. We found out about our mutual taste in punk rock and started writing songs. A few months later, we roped in some friends to have a jam with us and now we're fully formed!
Honestly it was just the first cool word with a comfortable amount of syllables. We all talk about shit for hours and sometimes find ourselves running in circles. I suppose implicit meaning is a rare commodity in communication nowadays.
Y'all just put out your first EP back in October, can you talk to us about the whole process that went into making it?
It was really pretty simple. I demo a lot of kind of... foundations to songs, show the lads, teach them the parts I made and the flesh it out and modify until we all feel like we have it right. We then spent the best part of two whole nights writing the lyrics sat round the table with lots of beer. A little bit of post production and final tweaks were made once we got in the studio as usual, but all in all it was largely coming out the way we went in with it.
What's your favorite part about making music?
Gigs. We all just fucking love playing gigs. We've slowly had more attendees come to see us and we've even heard some of our lyrics sung back to us which is such a surreal feeling. I can't even look up when I hear it, it's too exciting! All the new content we write, we're really thinking about how it's going to engage once we're up there entertaining a crowd and hopefully impressing our peers backstage.
Who are some of your inspirations?
We're all huge fans of the Run For Cover and Side One Dummy roster in North America and Canada, artists like PUP, Menzingers, Jeff Rosenstock, Microwave, Citizen. We could go on for hours about who inspires us but some of the old school greats like Billy Bragg and Paul Kelly also play a huge role in our fundamental songwriting habits.
What's life like in Brisbane?
Hot and steamy... but man, punk is thriving, vegan food is everywhere, the traffic isn't too bad. This place is a hidden gem and it's only a matter of time before it becomes the next Melbourne; a hub for arts and culture.
How is the music scene there?
The music scene is pretty up and down. Investors in the city are slowly killing our venues but Fortitude Valley (the nightlife suburb) is keeping live music strong and healthy. You can see any kind of performance any night if the week. Punk, metal, hardcore, blues, roots, jazz, country, classics, it's all there, just pick a bar!
What have you all been listening to lately?
We're all suckers for Post Malone haha. Lots of upcoming Aussie bands like Clowns, Beddy Rays, Waax, Voiid, Radolescent... the fun stuff that we Aussies do best!
Before we end this, tell us the secret ingredient to making good music?
Hooks man. The biggest and most frequent compliment (or at least I think it's a compliment) is people telling us they can't get our songs out of their heads! Good music is either one of two things, it's a jam/vibe or it's a hook that makes you fall in love. Stoner rock bands seldom write a memorable line or riff, but one sitting of an Electric Wizard album will make you beg for fuzz for the rest of your life. The other side of the coin is the genius of the Beatles, shit you'll never forget. It captivates you all the same.
Anything else you'd like to add?
Thanks to everyone reading this, everyone who has brought us to where we are now and we're we're going. And a personal thanks to you Holden. You created our image as much as we did ourselves. Love you man.
Follow Semantics on Instagram (@semanticstheband) and Facebook