Back in the late '90s and early 2000s, Baltimore-based Splitsville was one of the top bands (if not THE top band) in the indie power pop universe. Now the foursome returns with its first album in 22 years, and it's nothing short of a masterpiece. Out on Big Stir Records, MOBTOWN is an epic and beautifully-crafted love letter to the city of Baltimore. Any version of a reunited Splitsville would have been warmly welcomed in power pop circles, but MOBTOWN is even better than anyone could have imagined. It swings for the fences and crushes the ball out of the park. It's an extraordinary album that enriches the band's already sterling legacy.
For MOBTOWN, Splitsville has re-assembled its most recent lineup: Brandt and Matt Huseman of the beloved power pop band The Greenberry Woods along with Paul Kryaiak and Tony Waddy. More than two decades since the release of the band's last album Incorporated, the group has picked up right where it left off. MOBTOWN, while truly an ambitious and stylistically varied effort, is built on a foundation of gorgeous melodies, majestic harmonies, and indelible, perfectly-constructed hooks. In other words, this is a master class in guitar pop. While the band doesn't exactly abandon its signature approach of classic power pop with a '90s indie/alternative flavor (check out "A Glorious Lie" and "I Hate Going To Hutzler's"), it also shows the kind of growth you'd expect from a group that had last recorded before YouTube, social media, and vaping existed. "Cold Open" finds the band reintroducing itself to the world and asserting its capacity to rock. "On Federal Hill" and "Southern Hospitality" are practically indie pop mini-symphonies. "Gray" is funky pop reminiscent of Prince — until it isn't. "Fallsways" is breezy '70s rock that ought to be pumping from every yacht on the Chesapeake. "Perry Hall" and "Penn Station" are stunning ballads that find the album concluding with its finest pair of songs.
Tying it all together is the album's concept. MOBTOWN celebrates the band's hometown — examining everything from its history to its landmarks to its people to the racial divisions that still largely define it. Through storytelling, personal reflections, and social commentaries, the album explores all that is wonderful, flawed, storied, and unique about this great American city. Unlike some concept albums that crumble under the weight of their ambition, this one flows in a way that could not feel more natural. While of course these songs are best heard as one singular set, any of them can be enjoyed outside the context of the larger concept. MOBTOWN has the sweeping power of a great movie or novel, yet ultimately it's just a fantastic set of pop songs. The talent and skill of all the players involved have only progressed over the decades, and any concerns about rekindling that old chemistry are quickly assuaged once the music hits your ears. And the album's production is to die for. Those of you who fondly recall Splitsville from back in the day will not be disappointed. And if this is your introduction to the band, MOBTOWN will have you wanting to dig into all the greatness you have missed.
https://bigstirrecords.bandcamp.com/album/mobtown
https://open.spotify.com/album/695qDRFPYo8c2ae7nbOmi8
https://www.facebook.com/SplitsvilleUSA/
https://www.bigstirrecords.com/
https://www.facebook.com/bigstirrecords
https://www.instagram.com/bigstirrecords/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKgmSWHFm3wSaT7SF9JGyYQ
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