Fusing British Invasion with equal parts punk, poetry, krautrock, and kickass, The Splendid End delivers thunder-in-your-bones rock with art-damaged flair.
This year sees the band burst through the husk of its initial incarnation into a leaner, more muscular form. Following the departure late last year of both their lead singer and their keyboardist, the core trio of Guy Low (vox/bass), Darren Harff (guitar/vox), and Sam Ridenour (drums/vox) chose not to flesh out the band with replacement musicians but instead challenged themselves to create an even bigger sound with a stripped-down, skeleton-crew lineup. The resulting songs are set alight by dramatic arrangements, switchblade-sharp songwriting, monumental melodic hooks, and raw emotional power.