Splashh: Comfort

Splashh
Comfort
Kanine
2013-06-04

A name like Splashh brings to mind the sunnier sounds of Best Coast, Wavves, or any number of beach/summer named surf influenced bands. Splashh, however, are an anomaly in that department. Based in England, they follow their ‘80s rock sonic forefathers, trafficking in gothic shoegaze and the swirling waves of guitar feedback originated by the Jesus and Mary Chain. One thing is clear from the outset on Splashh’s debut album Comfort, this band can really play. Their detailed effects laden guitars conjure sonic swirls of awesomeness throughout each song and the rhythm section, bassist Thomas Beale and drummer Jacob Moore, aptly switch from driving punk riffs to the demented funk of We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank-era Modest Mouse at the drop of a hat. The band is able to do this while sounding completely natural.

Splashh’s songs take some of their cues from the heavily distorted ‘90s alternative rock of early Weezer but with no wave guitar textures that add a glorious of miasma of atmosphere. Opener “Headspins” sounds like a B-side from Weezer’s Pinkerton that combines the dark haze of Sports-era Weekend. The song structure isn’t far away from ‘90s greats like Superchunk but the songs don’t quite have the bleeding heart earnestness and hook-laden immediacy of songs like “Skip Steps 1 & 3” or Weezer’s “Tired of Sex”. The sound and production make up for the generic chord progression and melody though, calling to mind the guitar density of My Bloody Valentine and the dark cloud psychedelia of Adora-era Smashing Pumpkins.

“Vacation” employs a driving bass line and guitar effects to sound like a spaced out version of the National. Vocalist Sasha Carlson sings with the high register tone of Wavves’ Nathan Williams. Carlson’s vocals are treated with a distortion that very much recalls Bradford Cox of Deerhunter and it is clear that Splashh are well-versed in the mid fi production of recent indie rock records. The drum sound especially reminds me of DIIV’s excellent debut Oshin. “So Young” is a Buzzcocks-style full speed ahead pop punk song. “Lemonade” has a bouncing guitar line that gives way to waves of ethereal keyboards, finding a glorious middle ground between Franz Ferdinand and Slowdive. “Washed Up” is another song that falls halfway between reverie sounds, punk riffs, and funky rhythms. The atmospherics blend with the pop melodies in a similar way to Microcastle and Halcyon Digest-era Deerhunter. The song is upbeat but at the same time the washes of guitar and reverbed vocals give the verses the most straight-up shoegaze feel of any song on the album, sounding like a gentler version of Ride. When Sasha Carlson’s vocals loop in the funky chorus, the song becomes revelatory.

Ultimately Splashh’s debut Comfort shows a lot of promise. It is chock full of expertly crafted dense guitar and synthesizer soundscapes. While the band has an excellent grasp on nuanced instrumental textures and the songs have some really great parts, there is never really much to hang on to vocally. Like many of todays indie rock bands, the vocals are the weakest link and while some bands use that as an asset and blend heavily reverbed vocals to create nostalgic day dreams (Real Estate, DIIV, Beach Fossils), Splashh’s vocals sit on top and attempt pop melodies. These pop melodies and the lyrics that accompany them often feel as though they are an afterthought to the guitar work. As a result, some of the songs can start to blend together. For example, the guitar work in “Strange Fruit” is a glorious amalgamation of noise and beauty but the song never stands out at any point and even upon repeated listens, the melody is still damn near impossible to recall later.

Splashh use their guitar-based atmospherics to augment pop rock in a similar fashion to indie greats Deerhunter. If they could develop Bradford Cox’s ear for melody, then Splashh will be sure to break out as one of the more stellar bands in recent years. Comfort is full of good ideas that are well executed. Once this band really comes in to their own in the songwriting department, they will be a force to be reckoned with.

RATING 5 / 10