Australian power-pop outfit Romero have dropped a powerful new ballad today (March 24), ‘Halfway Out The Door’.

Fuzzed-out vocals match striking, heavy riffs, driving home the conflicting nature of the track’s narrative. So a soaring chorus proclaims: “If this isn’t what you want baby / Don’t come knocking, knocking, knocking, knocking.”

On the track, vocalist Alanna Oliver said: “I dated this guy on and off for years, who wouldn’t leave me but wouldn’t exactly love me either. ‘Halfway’ is written about him and my eventual commitment to myself.”

In the accompanying video for ‘Halfway Out The Door’ – helmed by Megan O’Keefe, with an equally fuzzy and saturated aesthetic – the band groove to the song in a combination of performance shots and candid escapades through suburban streets and backyards, playing out a romantic ideal.

Check it out below:

On the video, O’Keefe said: “Dave [drums] had a strong vision and pushed to use my mum’s old Panasonic camcorder to film this video. It makes for a more authentic storyline… This is an emotional song, the ‘flashback’ footage helps convey that. This video is a beautiful chaos, take from it what you will.”

‘Halfway Out The Door’ marks the fifth single from the Melbourne group’s forthcoming debut album, ‘Turn It On!’, set for release on Friday April 8 via Cool Death / Feel It.

The new single comes as the follow-up to the album’s title track, which dropped back in February. Oliver explained at the time that that song’s inspiration was inspired by a documentary on Blondie frontwoman Debbie Harry. “One of the quotes was, ‘She just gets on stage and she turns it on’,” she said.

“As soon as I heard this, I paused it and started writing… When I sing this song, I am now a woman who knows what she wants and how to get it.”