Bristol hardcore newcomers Split Chain’s debut is a brilliant blur that endlessly spins the fresh from the familiar.
There’s something unacceptable about referring to yourself in the third person – unless you’re Split Chain. The Bristol stars-in-waiting operate under the ethos that ‘The Chain does what it wants’, portraying the band as an unstoppable beast outside of their control, but one that gifts the five-piece with collective catharsis. Whatever you might think of that rationale, when it results in music this good and this resonant – some 20 million streams to date – then that’s fine by us.
Perhaps the most startling thing about this debut is that while its influences are obvious, the ways in which they’re wielded and incorporated are anything but. So I’m Not Dying To Be Here clearly owes a debt to Deftones, with its sensuous vocal drone and incisive riffs, but the airy production and affection for shoegaze take it into starker territory.
Similarly, SPIT and greyintheblue could be the stuff of nu-metal nostalgia – thanks to incessant guitars, anguished choruses and a snare drum as tight as a shark’s arse at 50 fathoms – but those elements have somehow been wrangled into deeper, dreamier efforts that exude melancholy rather than old-fashioned angst, that most counterfeitable of commodities.
In managing this feat, motionblur exudes confidence, though it isn’t without its foibles. Occasionally, as on The Space In Between, Bert Martinez-Cowles’ vocals don’t stand far enough apart from the musical arrangement, meaning they’re vying for the same space, thereby getting a little lost. That’s alright, though, because as Bert has said, motionblur “is a record that tells you it’s okay to be your authentic self”.
Split Chain’s authentic self is delightfully heavy and reassuringly human, via its musical execution and lyrics that explore the diabolical pressures exuded by ourselves and others. Oh, and it’s also a record that’s absolutely off the chain!
Verdict: 4/5
For fans of: Deftones, Love Is Noise, Helmet
motionblur is released on July 11 via Epitaph
