Three albums in, and Split Dogs are hitting their stride. If we’re being picky though, ‘strut’ would be a far better verb for the kind of energy that they’re putting out: a dirty cocktail of garage punk and the big-haired charisma of seventies stadium superstars. ‘Nice N Rough’ is the kind of record that makes you feel like a rockstar, capable of achieving anything at high speed, not limited to kicking out the jams, grafting a wall and taking a shot while riding a motorbike. It’s an intoxicating release that marks the point where we all really need to be taking Split Dogs a lot more seriously.
As an initial salvo, ‘Suffer’ set the bar high. It’s clear from the opening chords that they’re setting their sights a lot higher than before and manifesting their next big venue. This is a band ready to ‘Be Somebody’, and their opener feels like a Stonesy call to arms. There’s so much big riff energy sparking through this record, whether it’s turbo-charged earworm ‘Breaker’ or the so-simple-it-burns garage hooks of ‘Speed Demon’. We love this side of Harry Martinez’s vocals too; when she really gets to wail like there’s a smoke machine behind her and a big fan in front blowing her hair back. It’s when she gets her punk sneer on that we really get hooked. She can do a Johnny Rotten impression like no other (sorry, Frank Carter!) and when we get the full force of her condescension and snap on a track like ‘Born Too Loose’, the hype surrounding Split Dogs suddenly makes more sense.
It’s the ultimate “complisult” to say “every song sounds the same.” That’s the sign of a band with a distinct sound, and we could all rattle off a list of bands who’ve made their mark by doing just that. Luckily, while yes, every single song does sound really similar, ‘Nice N’ Rough’ is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it release. Unless you’re really tracking each song, the whole thing speeds past like a flaming tourbus and you’re left with a distinct aural crater after it lands. We don’t really need to be focusing on the homogeneity of their sound, we just need to let the whole thing smack into us at force and enjoy the sensation. Think of it as a half hour experience rather than a tracklist to pour over: that’s the spirit that they’re channelling. In fact, they’ve captured the live experience so well, that we can see it as a show in the headphones that you can just lose yourself in and come out feeling awesome about yourself.
“Sparks are flying out, there’s gonna be a power out,” Martinez screams on closer ‘Power Out’, and that’s the perfect summary of ‘Nice N’ Rough’. It’s got so much power that it could practically blow up a stereo, and the lights are going to be switching off on anyone who doubted the flightpath that Split Dogs are zooming through. Turn ‘Nice N’ Rough’ up seriously loud and load yourself up with the feeling that you’re going to ‘Be Somebody’ by the end of an album that practically crackles with garage electricity.
Kate Allvey