One of the best post-pandemic shows I’ve seen recently was Stiff Richards. The Aussie punks played super tight, intense and basically blew the audience away, showing that some of the most exciting punk today comes out of Australia. If you need more prove, take a listen to Split System’s debut record Vol. 1. Somewhat of a supergroup, Split System are Jackson Reid Briggs (Jackson Reid Briggs & The Heaters), Arron Mawson (Stiff Richards/Doe St/Legless Records), Ryan Webb (Speed Week), Deon Slaviero (Grand Rapids/The Black Heart Death Cult), and Mitch McGregor (No Zu).
The eleven songs on Vol. 1 will pierce your ears in the best possible way. Split System have the intensity of punk and are loud as hell. But take a closer listen and the music appears much more nuanced and subtle than you’d perhaps expect. The guitars and rhythm section combine for a rockin’ affair, and while listening in the car on the release day – I was lookin’ forward to this record for a while, Split System more than a couple of times reminded me of Royal Headache. Split System sounds way more aggressive though. The one-two punch of Demolition and Run On are a good example of this. They are just two of the many highlights on Vol. 1. The serious AC/DC nods in Ultimatum also stand out. Upon closer inspection, Split System is nothing less than a culmination of the best parts of Stiff Richards and Jackson Reid Briggs & The Heaters.
By the end of Vol. 1 , you kinda wish you were a talented guitar player so you can play these killer riffs and rhythms at maximum volume, or at the very least could sing/scream like Reid Briggs. Seriously, folks, what a band, what a record. Vol. 1 is out now through Legless Records and Drunken Sailor.
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