The Bristol punk rock n' roll crew do exactly as that title suggests!
There’s one glaring omission on ‘Here To Destroy’; namely that, unlike a Split Dogs gig, it comes without vocalist Harry Atkins’ utterly magnetic stage presence. Seriously, of all punk rock vocalists currently doing the rounds, they take the crown – for somehow managing to keep up such gloriously frenzied, bug-eyed, confrontational performances night after night. Suffice to say, as good as this record is, you’ll want to see these songs live for the full effect.
This is the follow-up to their 2023 self-titled debut, and it’s proof enough that the band are getting better with time. It was recorded live in three days, with no studio trickery involved, and hence everything here is as raw as a freshly popped blister – and all the more enjoyable for it. They’ve got the spirit and tunes of the ‘77 brigade, mixed with the take-no-prisoners attitude of street punk and hardcore, and delivered with 21st century urgency.
Opener ‘Stay Tuned’ is the musical equivalent of having your front door kicked in – but in a good way – whilst ‘Animal’ and ‘Meg’ are scorching blasts of d-beat, hopefully (and deservedly) to be met with crowd insanity everywhere they’re played.
They’re just as effective when they ease up on the accelerator, though. ‘Monster Truck’ is a tad more melodic and easy to dance to, with a beast of a solo and plenty of punk rock ‘whoa-oa’s, whilst recent single ‘Lafayette‘ – an ode to the music that shaped them – bounces along on a simple but catchy four-chord riff.
Oh, and like all the best punk bands, they’ve got a healthy distrust of authority, and take aim at the daily grind of work (‘And What’) and the little Hitlers of this world (‘Precious Stones’). “Why does it burn?” Harry yells on the latter, and it’s clear that Split Dogs aren’t lacking in inner fire; goodness knows what mischief they’d all be up to if they didn’t have the band as an outlet.
But yeah, believe us when we say that everything here will sound twice as great when played live, so it’s pretty handy that Split Dogs are about to head out on their first major headline UK tour. They are indeed here to destroy, and you’d be well advised to go and witness the ensuring carnage.
‘Here To Destroy’ is available from February 28th via Venn Records – order the CD and vinyl HERE
- Stay Tuned
- Monster Truck
- Animal
- Be A Sport
- Meg
- Lafayette
- And What
- Precious Stones
- All In
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I spend my days teaching English to foreign students, and my evenings attending as many gigs as possible. Raised mainly on a diet of 90s third-wave punk, my tastes have grown to include just about anything from trad ska to thrash metal. The Ramones are my musical gods.
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