Something for Kate are an Australian alternative rock band, which formed in 1994 with Paul Dempsey on lead vocals and guitar, and Clint Hyndman on drums.

[1] Dempsey and Hyndman were school friends from Padua College, Mornington Peninsula; Carroll successfully answered their advertisement in music stores.

[2] The trio played their first gig on 12 September 1994 at the Punter's Club in Melbourne, changing their band name from Fish of the Day at the suggestion of the venue's booking agent, Richard Moffat.

[2][4] In 1995, Sony Music's A&R, Chris Dunn, signed them to the Murmur label, which had picked up teenage rock band Silverchair a year earlier.

[7] An Oz Music Project reviewer described it as "a critically acclaimed debut release and started catching the ears of punters around the country.

"[8] During August and September of that year, they undertook the Unipaloser Tour of national universities with label mates Jebediah and Bluebottle Kiss.

[2] A limited edition five-track EP, Intermission, was hastily assembled from leftover recordings and released in March 1997, quickly becoming a collectors' item.

[1][2] Jasper Lee of Oz Music Project declared that it "shows the vast potential for [the] Melbourne band... Dempsey's voice proves that under the thick layer of the morbid rock guy, that a emotionally-brittle heart lies within.

"[9] In February 1997, the band recorded their debut album, Elsewhere for 8 Minutes (July 1997), at York St Studios, Auckland, with producer Brian Paulson, whose credits included Wilco and Slint.

[1][4][7] Carroll, who had recently married, quit the band to live on a rural property, but agreed to remain for the sessions, he was replaced on bass guitar by Toby Ralph (ex-Lobtailing).

[1][13] Sandpit had released their own debut album, On Second Thought, in May 1998 but they disbanded – founding drummer Paul Sciacca had left ahead of recording sessions.

[1] During 1998 Dempsey set up a side project, Scared of Horses, to release a solo album An Empty Flight, in November that year.

[15] He co-wrote and performed the tracks with a variety of fellow artists on lead vocals including Ashworth, Jamie Hutchings of Bluebottle Kiss, Laura MacFarlane of Ninetynine, Andria Prudente of Arrosa, Glenn Richards of Augie March and Heinz Riegler of Not from There.

[1] Dino Scatena, an Australian journalist, opined that "a lot of the beauty in [the album] lies in its understated quality ... so subtle, so perfect, any other songwriter would give his little pinky for a moment of such inspiration, such craftsmanship.

[1][21] They toured Japan and the United States in early 2000, where Ashworth received — and rejected — an offer to join Courtney Love's rock band, Hole.

[22] They began work at Mangrove Studios – owned by INXS member Garry Gary Beers – on Sydney's north coast.

"[2] Ashworth described Dempsey's guitar work: "Paul was a really percussive guitarist: he's a drummer, first and foremost and he actually taught Clint to play the drums.

[17][18] Lawrence felt that "In many ways, it marks quite a departure from their past two efforts, moving towards a sparser and richer sound, both in terms of instrumentation and the moods it creates.

The precisely structured chord progressions, creative arrangements and insightful lyrics are already weaving their magic and cultivating the warm gloom of loss.

"[10] He noticed that "[Dempsey's] voice is instantly recognisable and familiar as he tells the stories that have become a feature of SFK's unique lyrical content" while "Hyndman's drumming is far from conservative, offering oddly but deftly placed accents and a beat that fights the sugar-sweet melodies to provide a much-needed edge.

"[28] Stephanie McDonald of FasterLouder felt its "sound has moved from one of raw, hard rock to something a lot more melodic with pop appeal... [the group] combines both those elements into something truly inspirational.

[17] Rob Smith of The Dwarf felt that the first single "is SFK at their typical alternative rock best, blending a catchy and melodious chorus with constant beats and a use of light and heavy guitar work.

According to Nimmervoll "Notwithstanding a couple of one-off reunion shows for their ever-loyal following Something for Kate went into hiatus while their leader concentrated on writing for a solo album.

[32] They worked on Leave Your Soul to Science (September 2012) in Dallas with John Congleton (Okkervil River, Shearwater, the New Pornographers) co-producing.

"[33] The band uploaded two songs from the album to the internet before its release ("Survival Expert" and "The Fireball at the End of Everything") and also played two live shows in Melbourne and Sydney to preview it.

As part of the band's mid-2013 Star-Crossed Cities Tour, Dempsey recorded Shotgun Karaoke video segments prior to each show, in which he performed cover versions of songs by artists, the Lemonheads,[36] David Bowie,[37] INXS,[38] and Queen.

It served as the lead single for the band's seventh studio album, which at the time was also titled Situation Room and a to-be-decided release date.

[46] As part of their involvement, the band produced an advertisement protesting Kentucky Fried Chicken's (KFC) alleged cruelty to animals.

[47] Dempsey is listed as a supporter of the "Oscar's Law" campaign against the factory farming of companion animals, together with other publicly known figures including musician Mark McEntee, comedian Mick Molloy and the Essendon Football Club.