UK nu-gaze outfit Split Chain have returned with a new single titled ‘sylvia (i won’t belong to you)’, marking their first new music since the release of their debut album ‘motionblur’.
The Bristol band’s latest track lands ahead of their North American spring tour with The Devil Wears Prada and Soul Blind, offering a glimpse at the next chapter after the momentum generated by their breakout record.
A Dreamy But Crushing New Track
‘sylvia (i won’t belong to you)’ leans heavily into the band’s now familiar mix of shoegaze atmosphere, emo melodies and distorted alt-metal weight.
Shimmering guitar textures swirl around slow burning grooves, while the vocals shift between wounded introspection and explosive intensity, the result sits somewhere between dreamy and suffocating, a tension the band has steadily refined since their earliest releases.
Stream Split Chain ‘sylvia (i won’t belong to you)’ here.
That sound has drawn comparisons to early Deftones, particularly the band’s late 1990s era.
As Consequence recently noted (per press release):
“Holy Around the Fur-era Deftones Batman! Split Chain absolutely nail that vibe, combining crushing riffs with screamed vocals – hit with hella distortion – and hints of Chino-esque clean-sung melody.”
Life After ‘motionblur’
The new single arrives just over a year after Split Chain’s debut album ‘motionblur’, a record that helped push the band from underground curiosity into one of the more talked about names in the emerging nu-gaze movement.
Revolver described the album as:
“‘motionblur is the next major step in their ascent, a record that distills their freshened-up Y2K alt-metal and emo influencers into 11 songs that serve as both a culmination of their journey and a new high-water mark for the nu-gaze movement.”
Since its release, the band have racked up more than 165 million global streams and shared stages with artists including Better Lovers, Underoath, Counterparts, Landmvrks and Thrown, that relentless touring has only sharpened their reputation as one of the more exciting new acts circling the heavier end of alternative music.
“The Chain Does What It Wants”
If there’s one phrase that sums up the band’s approach, it’s a line fans have started repeating back at them.
“The Chain does what it wants.”
For the Bristol five-piece, it’s both a running joke and a mission statement, the band has leaned into creative freedom since day one, refusing to stay locked inside one lane of heavy music.
Right now, that instinct seems to be paying off, with ‘sylvia (i won’t belong to you)’ signalling the next phase and major tours on the horizon, Split Chain look ready to push their strange blend of distortion and atmosphere even further.
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