Spleen’s debut gushes grunge-punk and bleeds raw emotion
Lovers of Nirvana, Green Day and Jimmy Eat World: listen up – this is for you. Florence natives Spleen are giving it the grunge treatment in their debut LP, released through Contempo Records on 22nd May 2026. Dished up with a generous side of indie-punk goodness, ‘Gush’’s DNA can be traced back to early 90s alternative, emo and even new wave. Part angsty, part melancholy and part optimistic – the album has its share of complex emotional moments: exploring themes of intense relationships, social disillusionment and the chaos of everyday life.
With a rugged swagger, ‘Gush’ kicks off with strong opener ‘Affected Kid’. There’s a cloudy kind of moodiness to the whole thing. Its lyrics are a grungy stream of consciousness in quick succession, ultimately landing upon the Nirvana-esque chorus: “You try to scare me, I’m not afraid / You try to help me, but I don’t care”. The addition of grizzly, fuzz toned guitar work, further into the track, makes for an even greater payoff.
Samuele Riccucci’s gritty but melodic vocals on ‘Reload’ are a perfect fusion of James Hetfield and Dave Grohl, over pounding drums and thumping tempo – flowing seamlessly into ‘What’s Behind the Sun’. Easily one of the record’s strongest entries, Spleen slow it down to a brooding mid-tempo crawl, with ominous, moody guitar. Lyrics are vulnerable and delicate: “Always chased the sun / Too close I burn”. Accented by some whispery note-plucking and hushed melodic vocals, the juxtaposition between this emotive tenderness and the heavy drops of churning distortion is balanced excellently. The chorus is pure grunge, but the verses call back to 70s New York art punk, with a dash of the Pixies in there too.
‘All My Good Seeds’ furiously plummets us into the record’s attitude-heavy chapter. Riccucci’s snarling delivery brilliantly compliments the rhythm section’s crunching, jagged lines. Later, it morphs into a buoyant and more accessible pop-punk chorus, without sacrificing the heavy guitar. In fact, if anything, it actually adds to it, as laser-focused gliding fretwork, buzzsaw riffing and the sound of Alberto Sanna’s vicious assault on the pulsating bass erupt from beneath it all.
The most identifiably “punk” number of the bunch, ‘Kill the Prig’ is a very on-brand attack on societal hypocrisy – launching with an irate, full-throttled bark of frustration. Choruses explode with more raspy Riccucci vocal fry; the sharp, chaotic desperation reminding me of modern-wave post-punk band Cabbage.
Sidestepping into lighter territory, ‘Still in Bed’ is the record’s sleepier, softer number: its acoustic beginning eventually building into a layered, head-nodding railroad rhythm – Stone Temple Pilots-style. Musically, it’s a very close relation to ‘Wake Me Up When September Ends’, but shrouded in a murky, syrupy haze. As the lyrics more than once hint at, there’s a heavy sense of warring with oneself whilst navigating depression: “Get up, fight and kill the pain / But I’m still in bed”.
A further nod to Billie Joe Armstrong can be found on ‘W.Y.E.D.F.M.’ (‘Would You Ever Die For Me’). Just look at the cold open, a la ‘Basket Case’, as it launches with the opening hook: “I feel like someone else today / Thought hurt me, razor blades”. There’s even a bit of ‘Tommy Gun’-era Clash in the ending’s guitar overdrive, courtesy of Olmo Fantini, though we may be hearing it via their Green Day lineage.
‘Crown’ and ‘Humean’ both showcase more of the band’s detailed guitar technique. The latter more visceral by nature, it’s characterised by a strutting wall of sound, and accompanied with whining, spidery feedback and thwacking bass.
‘Lazy People’ discusses being drained by the actions and behaviour of others. It will almost definitely remind you, at some point throughout your listen, of ‘Something in the Way’. Lining the track and mirroring the increasing levels of lyrical anguish: the high-gain nosebleed guitar line and twitchy, flickering percussion from Matteo Innocenti is of particular interest – stopping it from becoming just another grunge homage.
A standout from the first note, ‘Pea Pod’ straddles staple punk and grunge effortlessly. Introducing a rollicking, earth-shaking bassline that refuses to fade into the background and isn’t afraid to embrace a funkier side, the track slows to a steady grind before promising to rev up for the action-packed main hook.
‘Sugar Loaf’ brings a close to proceedings: a seven-minute, low-slung, soulful chugger. Part of me wishes that the record had ended on the high of ‘Pea Pod’. Although, beyond the plodding rhythm, this track has a feeling of hopefulness where themes of sadness and bewilderment now give way to a spiritual awakening. It’s most effectively captured in the form of whirring guitar effects that climb to a powerful peak, before abruptly cutting short at its end.
Though Spleen heavily lean into their alt-grunge roots, they keep things fresh by countering it with harmonic, gentle melodies and angsty punk swagger. The punchy, hard-hitting tracks seem to find them at their best. But piece the whole puzzle together and it’s not hard to see how they’ve become so big back home.
‘Gush’ is out now in Italy via Contempo Records – email contempo@contemporecord.it to purchase. The album will be released worldwide on 11th September, but if you can’t wait that long, your can buy your Digital copy from HERE, and it’s streaming HERE
This summer, Spleen are supporting Litfiba at:
7th July – Carroponte, Milan, Italy
16th July – Rock In Roma, Rome, Italy
23rd July – Prato Delle Cornacchie, Florence, Italy
…and are returning to play:
7th August – Rebellion Festival (Arena Stage), Blackpool, UK
Main Photo Credit: MUSICUS CONSENTUS
- Affected Kid
- Reload
- What’s Behind The Sun
- All My Good Seeds
- Kill The Prig
- Still In Bed
- Lazy People
- W.Y.E.D.F.M.
- Crown
- Pea Pod
- Humean
- Sugar Loaf
Follow Spleen on Their Socials:
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