Skip to content
Cut from a magnetic, jagged edge of the Louisiana underground, Spllit open up an entirely new can of worms on 'Infinite Hatch'. A dozen new originals, mined from the minds of Marance and Urq, prove to be quite the follow-up to their introductory 2021 effort, 'Spllit Sides'. Transitioning from home recording project to roadworthy live unit - anchored by Raegan Labat (bass) and Ryan Welsh (drums) has worked wonders for Spllit's style. Their approach to composition remains wonderfully fried - a galaxy of textured sonic synapses, totally wired and deeply imaginative. Yet, in the midst of this collision of sounds, there's beauty. Anxieties transcend into swirling dual-vocal pop art experimentalia, while guitar work taps into something Magical. Spllit's old friend MIDI again contributes to the smokestack of layered tracks, though somehow - IT ALL MAKES SENSE. Crystalline soundscapes from humid human minds. 'Infinite Hatch' is a rare flavor, strikingly different based on how you approach it, yet cohesive. Spllit are triumphant sonic chemists, cooking in the avant-lab that's way, way out there.
Our take: Infinite Hatch is the second album from this New Orleans group on Feel It Records. Since the first album, Spllit has grown from a two-person recording project, adding a bass player and drummer. They’ve also progressed stylistically, augmenting the quirky post-punk influences they showcased on Spllit Sides with moments that are more ambitious, and often even stranger. The band that comes to mind most frequently when I listen to Infinite Hatch is Suburban Lawns, mostly because of the way strong melodies push through the skewed, David Lynch-like musical landscapes. Spllit also possesses Devo’s ability to craft rhythms that sound really stiff and unnatural, yet stick in your head like a simple pop tune. Spllit’s music is anything but simple, though. Some riffs and melodic lines are so long they sound like classical music, and when the band locks into those complex lines and plays them in unison, it can sound like prog rock, or even late-career Frank Zappa. Those influences are just a spice, though… the base is still underground pop, punk, and rock. Come to think of it, the balance of ingredients reminds me of Pavement’s Wowee Zowee, another record that pulls from vintage prog and late 70s / early 80s underground pop. Any way you slice it, Infinite Hatch is a wild ride, and I think adventurous-eared punks are gonna love it.
Our take: Infinite Hatch is the second album from this New Orleans group on Feel It Records. Since the first album, Spllit has grown from a two-person recording project, adding a bass player and drummer. They’ve also progressed stylistically, augmenting the quirky post-punk influences they showcased on Spllit Sides with moments that are more ambitious, and often even stranger. The band that comes to mind most frequently when I listen to Infinite Hatch is Suburban Lawns, mostly because of the way strong melodies push through the skewed, David Lynch-like musical landscapes. Spllit also possesses Devo’s ability to craft rhythms that sound really stiff and unnatural, yet stick in your head like a simple pop tune. Spllit’s music is anything but simple, though. Some riffs and melodic lines are so long they sound like classical music, and when the band locks into those complex lines and plays them in unison, it can sound like prog rock, or even late-career Frank Zappa. Those influences are just a spice, though… the base is still underground pop, punk, and rock. Come to think of it, the balance of ingredients reminds me of Pavement’s Wowee Zowee, another record that pulls from vintage prog and late 70s / early 80s underground pop. Any way you slice it, Infinite Hatch is a wild ride, and I think adventurous-eared punks are gonna love it.