Split Chain Makes Headway with Motionblur Album Release

Born from a chain of persistent friendships, officially forming back in 2022, the UK based nu-gaze band Split Chain, has quickly risen through the hardcore ranks, most recently tearing it up on tour alongside Counterparts, Thrown and 156/Silence. 

Vocalist Bert Martínez-Cowles and guitarist Tom Davies met up with Rambler at the Soma show date on Sept. 30 to talk progression in the scene, their approach to songwriting and where Motionblur is taking them next.

“Our first show was a headline show that we booked ourselves. After that, we played at three smaller festivals in the UK, plus like two random shows,” Martínez-Cowles said. Then we did a DIY weekender with two friends’ bands which was only three days, and from there, we went on our first proper tour.”

Those early shows cemented the foundation of the band’s identity, built on raw authenticity and a commitment to doing things entirely on their own terms, an ethos that shapes the band’s approach both in the studio and on tour. 

“We think that the authenticity and the authentic part of us is what's helped us connect with people,” Davies explained. “Which has kind of helped get us to where we are.”

That same authenticity bleeds directly into their music, most palpably on their debut full-length. Released in July, the album has shocked the scene with its heavy hitting, genuine sound and sonic exploration seen through seamlessly layering genres like nu-metal with shoegaze. 

Aside from affirming their brand of “nu-gaze,” the album highlights the band’s ability to tackle deeply personal truths backed with complementive, metallic guitar riffs, piercing drums and a steely production through its entirety. The hardcore newcomers’ popularity has recently skyrocketed and this release serves as a testament to their cathartic sound and edgy stylistic take on nu-metal nostalgia that’s broken through the scene. 

Even amid relentless touring, the band maintained that sense of self-direction that’s carried them to new music heights, while writing the album.

“Ever since we started writing, it’s always been about doing it for ourselves. We’ve never looked at it like a project or a job and thought, ‘Oh, this could help me.’ It’s more like — if we like the song, cool. If we don’t, that’s fine too,” Martínez-Cowles explained. 

“We’re not writing to be relevant or to fit into some niche,” Davies said. “As long as we fuck with the music, it sounds a little brutal, but as long as we genuinely fuck with it, that’s what matters.”

Recorded and mastered between tour dates, Motionblur is a product of controlled chaos that captures the intensity of navigating life constantly on the road. True to its name, the record feels like a whirlwind of heavy energy, with a lineup of forceful songs that capture the honest moments about the genuine highs and lows of life.

“Because of how the record was made, we had no fucking idea how any of this was going to turn out. Like, we didn't even finish the record until the day before we had to leave … It was insane,” Martínez-Cowles. “So we never really had time to sit back with the songs and think, ‘Yeah, this isn’t gonna be this.’ It was just like, ‘Fuck it, yeah, get it out.’

With no time to sit with the finished tracks, the record came together in a blur, and the raw, unfiltered immediacy of the songs translated directly to the stage, shocking the band with how strongly they connected with fans.

“Then straight after that, it was like, back on tour. I think ‘I’m Not Dying To Be Here’ has surprised me the most,” Davies said. “Even when we put it out just as a single and announced the album, it got this really crazy reception. Something just seemed to happen, and people really gravitated toward it for some reason.” 

Wrapping up the North American tour and heading to Canada for the rest of October, Split Chain will be bringing Motionblur in full to new audiences. 

With the album barely settled, the band shows no sign of slowing down. Fans can look forward to more shows, more music and a continual push to defy genre boundaries. In the chaos of constant movement, Split Chain’s next steps are dialed and already in motion… and you don’t want to miss out.