It can be argued that an album’s artwork is almost as important as the music in securing cult-status for an artist.
Entire decades have been spearheaded by certain images that society begins to associate with anything from rebellion (Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’ cover), to self-discovery and counter-culture (Pink Floyd’s ‘Dark Side of The Moon’), to just being hot (Charli XCX’s ‘Brat’).
Especially in an era where over 50,000 new and original tracks are being uploaded to streaming daily, Semantics lead singer Callum Robinson argues, “It’s hard to find new music amongst all the noise and intensity of modern marketing.”
Hailing from Brisbane, Semantics are the indie-punk quartet celebrating the release of their sophomore album I Feel It All At Once, which dropped today. Coinciding with te album is a 9-leg Australian Tour this October and November, starting in the Gold Coast, heading down the east coast, then back up to the band’s home city for the final gig.
For their second release, Semantics have upped their game with the cover art, choosing a lightning-wiedling, majestic stallion-riding knight slaying evil skeletons to represent their signature blend of heavy guitars and brutally introspective lyrics. To kick off the beginning of a new era for Semantics, Robinson takes us through his top 5 album covers of all time.
5: Sweet Pill – Where the Heart Is
This album artwork is a recent addition to my all-time favourites. I had to include it because it was the artwork that made me want to listen to the album. It’s hard to find new music amongst all the noise and intensity of modern marketing. This album cover hooked my attention immediately, and let me to an album from a band I had never heard of, and it’s one of the BEST albums I’ve ever heard. The painting was made from a photo of the lead singer, and the colours and styling of it perfectly match the mood of the music. Even though it only came out in 2022, Where The Heart Is quickly become one of my top 5 album covers of all time.
4: The Stone Roses – Self Titled
The artwork of The Stone Roses albums were made by John Squire. It’s a brilliant blend of Jackson Pollock meets Andy Warhol. Growing up, this art style and this album cover was the very definition of late ‘80s/early ‘90s Manchester music. Squire created confusing, chaotic and inversely calming paintings that complement the music of The Stone Roses. There are layers, there is noise and movement, but there is also clear intention. Anyone who sees these paintings know they’re looking at Stone Roses album covers, with or without a title. Truly iconic.
3: My Chemical Romance – Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge
A millennial can’t do a top 5 album covers without revealing that emo is in fact, not a phase. Three Cheers was the most violent CD cover on the shelves at HMV when I was a kid. My 8-year-old eyes were transported to a gothic horror comic show before I’d heard a single riff. This album cover isn’t objectively genius or anything, and it’s a much more personal opinion on why it’s in my top 5, but it did exactly what was intended for the audience, and thus opened the gateway to a whole new genre of music my parents would never have found. From MCR, it’s a slippery slope into their influences like Misfits and other old American punk music, and into what purists will call “true” emo.
2: Circa Survive – On Letting Go
It was almost impossible to pick only one album from Circa Survive. All of their album covers are paintings by Arizona artist Esao Andrews, and he is my favourite painter of all time. I’m always trying to guess what came first, the music or the painting… I don’t actually want to know. It’s part of the mystery and the beauty of these records. On Letting Go in particular was my first exposure to Circa Survive and Esao Andrews. I don’t know how they do it, but both the music and the paintings match moods perfectly. On Letting Go depicts a girl, who’s head is the burner of a hot air balloon. There’s an incredibly sense of melancholy. Her form is dainty and fragile, but the flame is intense and the colours of the balloon are rich and beautiful. The background is dark and miserable. It creates a sense of catharsis or maybe escape. Do yourself a favour and listen to a Circa Survive album while perusing its album cover. It’ll stir feelings you haven’t felt before.
1: Meat Loaf – Bat Out of Hell
In my opinion, this is the greatest album cover of ALL time. Instantly recognizable, undeniably epic, and completely ridiculous. I don’t know if it was the intention back then, but as the years go by, this album cover becomes ever-more legendary and hilarious. Bat Out Of Hell was my first CD, gifted to me by my Nana (who knows why). I’d never heard of Meat Loaf, never expressed an interest in rock-opera, but it was about to become one of the biggest albums of my childhood. Through my pre-teens, my personal CD collection was very small. My parents had bookcases of CDs and records, but I kept mine separate. Richard Corben‘s Bat Out of Hell painting fascinated me as a kid. The giant spooky bat, the badass hunk bursting out of a graveyard on a silver-black phantom bike. This album is aptly regarded as the most metal cover of a non-metal album ever. And it spawned my love for irony, contrast and artistic fluidity. The new Semantics album artwork for I Feel It All At Once, painted by Donato Giancola is inspired by exactly that.
Noteworthy Mentions…
there are so many legendary and inspiring album covers I wanted to put in this list, so here’s a few more if you love album covers as much as I do:
Turnover – Peripheral Vision
Birds In Row – Gris Klein
Violent Soho – Hungry Ghost
Paramore – Riot
Ozzy Osbourne – The Ultimate Sin
Jeff Rosenstock – Worry.
Sonic Youth – Sonic Nurse
The Acacia Strain – Death Is The Only Mortal
Van Halen – 5150
Semantics will be performing their I Feel It All At Once Tour this October and November. For tickets and further information, check out the band’s website.
