Big Stir Records is thrilled to bring you the news: SPLITSVILLE is back. The celebrated indie rock quartet, dormant since 2003, becomes the fourth Power Pop Hall Of Fame inductee on the combined BSR/SpyderPop roster, and more importantly, return with new music that stands with their very best. The band's new single “Beth Steel” - the first preview of a forthcoming album due this Summer - will see release on all on all digital platforms June 6, and is up for pre-order and pre-save now:
https://orcd.co/splitsville-bethsteel
“They're burning down the empire, but the trains still run on time”: that's the brash opening couplet on SPLITSVILLE's new single, and it's guaranteed to turn a few heads. Equally arresting is the sound of the new song, with churning guitars joined by a loping, Revolver-esque drumbeat leading up to a lush, yearning chorus (“You can't run away from yourself”) and a bridge to die for. It's clear that the band hasn't reunited for the sake of nostalgia, although their legacy would allow for that: formed in 1994 by identical twins BRANDT and MATT HUSEMAN of the beloved power pop band THE GREENBERRY WOODS along with bassist/keyboardist PAUL KRYSIAK and later adding TONY WADDY, SPLITSVILLE was one of the leading lights of the turn-of-the-century guitar pop revival. From their home-recorded debut through 2003, their initial run yielded five critically acclaimed albums including genre classics like Repeater (1998) and the retro-focused concept record The Complete Pet Soul (2001). They've been missed, but the audacity of the new single indicates that SPLITSVILLE have returned not only with their melodic gifts and powerful sonics intact, but with heady new ambitions.
The title “Beth Steel” might suggest a classic power pop “girl's name” song, but there's much more at work here. And while the talk of burning empires evokes the global realities of 2025, there's something much more local – and personal – at the core of the song. It's a hint of the thematic concerns the band explore on the forthcoming album, as they explain: “From 1887 to 2012, the Bethlehem Steel mill at Sparrows Point provided steady - if dangerous - work for tens of thousands of men and women. The closing of the mill had a devastating effect on the lives of many residents of Baltimore, including a former supervisor who was Brandt’s Uber driver one evening. She inspired the lyrics to this song.”
Welcome, then, to MOBTOWN, SPLITSVILLE's self-described love letter to their hometown of Baltimore. “Beth Steel” is one of the ten tracks that constitute the song cycle of the new album, and it's emblematic of the band's ambitious approach. “It's a concept album, but all of our albums have been at some level. We still focused on the best songwriting, this time using Baltimore as a mirror/microcosm to address societal and personal issues,” says Matt. “We also tried to make this album sound better than anything we’ve released prior.” They succeed in dazzling fashion, tapping into the rich history and texture of a singular place through sharp character sketches -- some humorous, some heartbreaking, all captivating and married with some of the most powerful and sophisticated pop hooks you'll hear this year. Release details are forthcoming, but for now, crank up “Beth Steel” and know that SPLITSVILLE is back... and they mean business.