Split Chain Announce Debut Album ‘motionblur’ and Share New Single
Photo by Ashlea Bea
One of our ones to watch Bristol’s rising “nu-gaze” force, Split Chain, have officially announced their debut album, motionblur, set for release on July 11th via Epitaph Records. Having only emerged in 2023 Split Chain aren’t messing around and are quickly rising the ranks with their blend of shoegaze, grunge, nu-metal, and emo.
Speaking on the themes behind motionblur, bassist Tom Davies shares: “”motionblur is as much a coming-of-age story, as it is a celebration of our adolescence and the things that defined us. We wanted to encapsulate the feelings of angst and isolation that so many struggle with growing up—but just as importantly, we wanted to honour the things that shaped us: the lifestyles, the music, and the pop culture that became part of our identity.
This album is an amalgamation of our individual and collective experiences. While its themes can be dark, at its core, motionblur is about resilience—about making it through without letting those experiences weigh you down. It was crucial for us to create an album that felt like a cohesive piece of art while still being sonically diverse. We wanted to capture the feeling of growing up in an era when albums were more than just collections of songs—they were experiences, meant to be played from start to finish, over and over again.”
Alongside the album announcement, Split Chain have dropped a powerful new single, ‘bored. tired. torn.’ The song has their fresh nostalgia sound on full display with crunchy guitars and pained vocal melodies providing a moody grunge soundscape that has shades of bands like Deftones & Superheaven.
Speaking on the song vocalist Bert Martinez-Cowles shares: “Thematically, the song centers on whether or not someone should have to deal with the shit they’re dealt by relatives just because they’re family,” he says. “‘bored. tired. torn.’ is a declaration against that, and tries to positively convey the message that nobody has to put up with it just because they share blood with the people hurting them.”
Watch the video here:
motionblur, is promised to be an album built for immersive listening—one that Martinez-Cowles hopes will resonate deeply: “This is the story of what we’ve been through, and this is the story of who we are today,” he says. “You either let the things you have experienced define you, or you choose a different path. You can be whoever you want to be.”
‘motionblur’ Tracklisting
1. Under The Wire
2. bored. tired. torn
3. I’m Not Dying To Be Here
4. Rookie
5. who am i?
6. SPIT
7. greyintheblue
8. The Space In Between
9. Subside
10. Headway
11. my mistake…
Pre-Order/Pre-Save:
https://splitchain.ffm.to/motionblur
Split Chain will be hitting the road across the UK and Europe, including appearances at Slam Dunk Festival (UK), Download Festival (UK), Mystic Festival (Poland), and Resurrection Fest (Spain). Their upcoming tour dates are as follows:
March-April UK Tour Dates:
- March 28 – Cardiff, Clwb Ifor Bach
- March 29 – Liverpool, Rough Trade
- March 30 – Edinburgh, Legends
- March 31 – Aberdeen, Tunnels
- April 1 – Newcastle, The Grove
- April 2 – Sheffield, Yellow Arch
- April 3 – Leicester, The Big Difference
- April 4 – Kingston, Fighting Cocks
- April 5 – Exeter, Cavern
- April 9 – Dublin, Grand Social
- April 10 – Belfast, Voodoo
- April 12 – Bristol, Rough Trade (Record Store Day show)
Festival & European Dates:
- May 24 – Slam Dunk Festival South (Hatfield Park, UK)
- May 25 – Slam Dunk Festival North (Leeds, UK)
- June 5 – Mystic Festival (Gdańsk, Poland)
- June 9 – Cologne, Club Bahnhof Ehrenfeld (w/ Amira Elfeky)
- June 14 – Download Festival (Donington, UK)
- June 16 – London, Camden Assembly (w/ Amira Elfeky)
- June 17 – Paris, Les Etoiles (w/ Amira Elfeky)
- June 21 – Farewell Youth Fest (Dresden, Germany)
- June 26 – Jera On Air Festival (Ysselsteyn, Netherlands)
- June 28 – Resurrection Fest (Viveiro, Spain)