Mobtown is the latest album by Baltimore based Splitsville it's the band's first new material since 2003. Splitsville are twins Matt and Brandt Huseman, Tony Waddy and Paul Krysiak. The album launch show is on September 6th at the Creative Alliance in Baltimore.
The album open with the chugging indie of Cold Open with them imploring us to all start a riot while out of it on Kaff-pow, while reminding me of Rueben or The Killers, it's extremely catchy.
A Glorious Lie is something we have all either told or been told at one time or another, the riff has a slightly staccato feel to it, with this tale of dancefloor glory or ignominy unfolds, they are hoping to make it big in Bucharest after seducing the Queen of Romania.
On Federal Hill sounds like it could be the name of an episode on The Wire, with the adventures happening at kicking out time, will they let bagels be beigals or not, just don't worry about the stuff you can't change, move on and work to make the world around you a better, happier safer place.
Southern Hospitality is about that double edged sword of overly polite and gentile folks, who on the sly are the nastiest people you could find, they hope you end up on the side that wins, on this gently jangling indie pop tune.
Gray is slow thoughtful ruminations on peace and harmony that echoes in similar territory to Walking Papers but being played by Government Issue, it feels quite wide screen when the strings come in.
I Hate Going To Hutzler's is apparently about a chain of shops in Baltimore and all the dreck they sold, they have now gone the way of most such shops, this makes it sound like it could have been twinned with Bodgers the local equivalent where I grew up, thankfully this isn't cheerleading for the Amazon revolution either and the guitar rave up in the middle is brilliant. Just make sure if you know any of the members of Splitsville you don't give them an Orioles sweater this Xmas.
Fallsway is caught in the middle of a fire fight, methadone lines, urban squalor set to rather pretty piano led tune, that has echoes of the Alessi Brothers, they hope to tempt you out on the lash with them rather than running away from Fallsway.
Beth Steel is for a veteran of the local steel mill, whose job is of course under threat, they tell us you can't run away from yourself, no you will always be caught. Will any hardcore industrial jobs be left in America. This is full of regret for what used to be and how the industrial heartlands are full of skeleton and ghosts, all the misdemeanours you are reduced too in this new wasteland.
Perry Hall is for another victim of post-industrial Baltimore and America, can they drink all the pain and sorrow away, what chance is there of finding gainful employment in this ghost town.
The album closes with Penn Station an elegiac song for commuters stuck in the ever-repeating grind of repetitive daily commuting, this slowly builds with pitter patter cymbals and a gently evocative piano part before the choral backing vocals and cello come in.
Find out more at https://orcd.co/splitsville-mobtown https://bigstirrecords.com/splitsville?ffm=FFM_6f7e84f632ddd2f12c4e292d3f924f8c https://bigstirrecords.bandcamp.com/album/mobtown https://www.facebook.com/SplitsvilleUSA
