Splinter Group Unleash ‘Name & Shame’ Ahead of Debut Album Release

Derby noise rock four-piece Splinter Group have released their latest single, “Name & Shame”, accompanied by a suitably unsettling new music video, offering another glimpse at their self-titled debut album ahead of its full digital release on 25 September.

Formed from what the band describe as the “remnant shards of multiple musical endeavours” sometime in the early 2020s, Splinter Group are Jay Dean on guitar and vocals, Tim Harnor on bass, Martin Lindau on drums and Dave Wood on guitar. There is no grand concept or unnecessary complication behind what they do. Splinter Group are about noise, riffs, volume and creating an enormous wall of sound, and the two singles currently available give you a pretty good idea of what to expect when the album lands.

“Name & Shame” is the slower and more sinister of the two. It is a sleazy, heavy track that doesn’t need to race to hit hard, instead grinding its way forward with lead guitar lines following and answering the vocals. There is weight behind everything, but enough space in the track for the individual elements to breathe before being swallowed back into the noise.

Then there’s the video.

Watch Splinter Group – “Name & Shame” on YouTube

It is rough, deliberately unpolished and absolutely perfect for the song. A disturbing montage of religious imagery runs throughout, showing people dancing uncontrollably, apparently overcome by religious fervour, possessed-looking preachers and congregations, and one particularly memorable shot of a man standing in church clutching a writhing snake. Flashes of NAME & SHAME cut through the footage as everything becomes progressively stranger, eventually tipping into flashes of psychedelia.

If anyone remembers True Blood, there is something about the whole thing that immediately takes me there. It has that dirty, Southern Gothic, God-fearing backwoods atmosphere, somewhere between a feverish church service and a scene from a low-budget horror film. Throw a little Rob Zombie into the equation and you’re somewhere close.

It shouldn’t look polished. That’s precisely why it works.

The imagery complements the filthy weight of the track rather than distracting from it. It feels unsettling and slightly dangerous, which is also a pretty good description of Splinter Group at full volume.

“Name & Shame” is available to stream now across digital platforms.

Stream Splinter Group – “Name & Shame”

“Disco” is two minutes of glorious noise

The other track already out in the world is “Disco”, and while “Name & Shame” crawls towards you, “Disco” basically kicks the door off its hinges.

It is noisy, fast and dirty, a little sleazy track with an infectious hook that gets hold of you almost immediately. At just over two minutes long, it doesn’t hang around long enough to outstay its welcome. It arrives, makes an absolute racket and disappears.

And it might just be my favourite Splinter Group track.

Every time I hear “Disco”, I want to move. The production is fantastic, turning the band into a wall of noise without losing the individual components buried within it. Screaming guitars collide with crunching riffs and relentless drums, while Jay Dean’s emotive, soulful lead vocal cuts through the chaos rather than trying to compete with it.

It’s short, but well and truly sweet.

“Disco” and “Name & Shame” are very different tracks in terms of pace, but there is a thread connecting them. Both are noisy, hard-hitting and infectious. There is something gloriously physical about Splinter Group’s music. It feels like it has been made to be played loudly in a small room, preferably with amplifiers pointing directly at you.

Having seen Splinter Group live, I can confirm that the volume isn’t just part of the press release.

I had earplugs in and my ears were still ringing afterwards.

I loved every second of it.

Splinter Group’s debut album arrives on 25 September

Both singles feature on the band’s seven-track self-titled debut album, which receives its full digital release across streaming platforms on 25 September.

The album was recorded while Splinter Group were still operating as the three-piece of Jay Dean, Tim Harnor and Martin Lindau, before Dave Wood joined on guitar. Across its seven tracks, the band cite the influence of the abrasive noise rock surrounding bands such as Shellac, Drive Like Jehu and METZ, but the result has enough of Splinter Group’s own personality running through it that it never feels like an exercise in imitation.

The tracklist runs:

Blood Bath
Wall
Future Burn
Disco
Name & Shame
Teeth
Wine

Before the wider digital release, however, there has been another way to get hold of the album.

When I saw Splinter Group live, I was able to pick up one of the limited-edition CD copies, complete with a hand-cut lino-printed cover. In a world where so much music arrives as a thumbnail on a streaming platform and disappears into an endless library of releases, having something handmade attached to an album makes a difference.

There is a genuine level of care in these copies. The artwork isn’t simply packaging surrounding the music; it feels like an extension of it. The time spent designing, cutting and individually printing those covers mirrors the attention that has gone into recording and producing the seven tracks inside them.

It also reflects something you notice when watching Splinter Group perform.

For all the chaos, distortion and sheer volume surrounding them, this isn’t sloppy music.

There is precision underneath the noise.

The same attention to detail that goes into making those physical copies is there in the production, the arrangements and the band’s live performances. Splinter Group might sound like they’re trying to demolish the room around them, but they’re doing it deliberately.

And album two is already happening

Perhaps the most encouraging thing is that Splinter Group aren’t treating the release of their debut as the end of some enormous album cycle.

They are already well underway with album number two.

For now, though, there are seven tracks ready to introduce the wider world to what this Derby band does. “Disco” provides the frantic, immediate hit, while “Name & Shame” slows everything down and drags it somewhere darker, heavier and considerably more sinister.

Together, they make a convincing introduction to the album arriving on 25 September.

Splinter Group are loud, abrasive, infectious and refreshingly uncomplicated about what they’re trying to achieve. Sometimes you don’t need an elaborate concept. Sometimes screaming guitars, crunching riffs, relentless drums and a bloody good hook are more than enough.

A great band, a great debut album and a superbly grubby video to accompany its latest single.

And if this is album one, I’m very interested to hear what happens when they turn the amplifiers up for album two.

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