Throughout 2024, Bristol outfit Split Chain have become “ones to watch” with several festival spots and notable support slots. They’ve independently carved out a sound that blends shoegaze with nu-metal along the way. Their hard work has paid off as they’ve joined Epitaph Records.
“We’ve always been drawn to artists who push boundaries and create something truly unique,” said Epitaph label owner and founder Brett Gurewitz. “Split Chain captures the spirit of innovation with their sound, blending raw emotion and sonic textures in a way that’s fresh and powerful. We’re excited to welcome them to the Epitaph family”
Unsurprisingly, Split Chain are ecstatic about joining the much-heralded label. “We could never even imagine we’d be in the position we’re in today; we are just in so much shock,” the band commented. “Epitaph is a label that we all grew up with and found new music through, which had such an impact on all of our lives. We could not be more thankful to the team at Epitaph for taking a chance on us.”
While Split Chain and Epitaph quietly teamed up in the summer for the release of ‘Haven’, their new single properly marks the partnership, and also allows them to re-work an old track. Titled ‘(Re)-Extract’, it exemplifies the quintet’s sound with droning guitars clouding above a hypnotic hook and dense instrumentation. It also features an appearance from Canadian grunge duo Softcult.
Lyrically, the track reflects on the band’s experiences with addiction, explaining “It’s so easy to get stuck in negative spirals, admitting defeat and accepting it as part of you and your personality; when in fact it is possible to find a way out.”
Split Chain only formed in 2023 and came together as a creative outlet for vocalist Roberto Martinez-Cowles, guitarists Oli Bowles and Jake Reid, bassist Tom Davies and drummer Aaron Black, as they recovered from addiction. Collectively, they’ve used their personal struggles to develop an emotional and layered sound. “We were writing music as an escape, a distraction, to create what we wanted to listen to,” the band explains. “We ended up loving what we had created so much, and from this, Split Chain was formed.”
Tomorrow, they will kick off a run of shows opening for Boston Manor on their UK tour alongside Trophy Eyes. Split Chain will also be playing next year’s Slam Dunk Festival.
September
18th Rock City, Nottingham
19th O2 Ritz, Manchester
20th Project House, Leeds
22nd SWG3, Glasgow
24th SWX, Bristol
25th Engine Rooms, Southampton
26th XOYO, Birmingham
27th O2 Forum Kentish Town, London
