REVIEW: Split Dogs - Nice N' Rough
SPLIT DOGS are running wild and loose across the scene with the sort of classic British rock’n’roll punk that our parents warned us about. Drawing on years of experience and their varied love of all things rock, the quartet are showing their bark and bite with their third album Nice N’ Rough, a celebration of their coming together and a boisterous and bold sound that brings the vitality of rock’n’roll punk into the modern world.
SPLIT DOGS might have one of the most rock ‘n’ roll origin stories ever told; from flying out to Australia to perform in Evil Dead musicals and burlesque shows, to sneaking out to play guitar in dive bars at the age of 13, founding members Harry Martinez, lead vocalist, and guitarist Mil Martinez formed the punk band a mere five years ago with a strong ethos that they wanted to play “rock’n’roll like we loved as kids”. Taking shape during strict lockdown and gradually finding its feet as restrictions were lifted, SPLIT DOGS is now a solid unit and their “forever band” with bassist Suez Boyle and drummer Chris Hugall.
Where their previous album Here To Destroy still had the fresh foursome finding their groove, Nice N’ Rough sounds like mates having a laugh together, attacking with assertive rhythms and riffs and brazen lyrics in Harry’s distinct vocals, SPLIT DOGS keeping to their core value of having fun with the music they adore.
Opener Be Somebody makes it unmistakeable from the offset this is an album for the fun and free, an intro of drawn-out notes leading into a steady heartbeat of Hugall’s thrashing drums, Mil delivering the first of many slick guitar solos while his fuzzed riffs play in tandem with Boyle’s robust bass, and Harry brings it all together as they sing of their glorious comeback. Born Too Loose quickly changes gears into a rapid-fire beat and frenzied strings, channelling the ‘don’t give a fuck’ attitude of AC/DC and the powerhouse, fiery solos of CHUCK BERRY into a track that doesn’t take itself seriously and just wants to go hard but not home. Breaker keeps up this attitude as it rockets through with loud, in-your-face riffs and fretboard slides over quick-fire vocals of being unapologetically themselves until comes to an abrupt end.
Get The Look punches in with a feral bassline and a matching guitar riff, building to a Brit-punk sound that brings to life the sound of the 80s, until Harry delivers a prolonged scream over the thumping rhythms. Rather than go speedy, Speed Demon certainly goes heavy and delightfully wicked on its catchy medley and rich vocals, capturing that essence of early AC/DC with the unexpected addition of a harmonica riff complementing the choruses, a guitar solo ripping through and ringing out slowly. Leave It Alone is a warning to just let the band do their thing as they try to navigate life and its hurdles, exasperated sighs giving way to a delicious solo as they beg you to get off their case and stop griping. Shake Sum Action sounds like a punk-rock track but there’s an element to it of 50s rockabilly groove, a frenetic speed and thudding bass over the cries of “I just can’t control these shakes” for a sound that would invoke a random choreographed dance mob in a 50s diner.
Rock N Roll Business does exactly as it title suggests, drawing on legendary rock and roll influences like CHUCK BERRY and STEPPENWOLF, with rough and tumble riffs and seamless drums over a lightning-fast piano that takes us back through time to the birth of rock ‘n’ roll. Mamma Said focuses more on rhythm with weighty guitar riffs over drum beats that weave from tempered to obliterating, the bass subtly rising and falling in the background and adding texture to the track, the vocals climbing to a high key until a backing yell joins in and brings attitude until it gradually fades out. Suffer enters with a heavier tone with shimmering cymbals and a more dangerous riff, pausing for a moment to build anticipation before everything rushes together into a crash of racing instruments and Harry’s notable voice, giving the feeling of being in a high stakes car race.
I Wanna continues the theme of rapid rock ‘n’ roll, as if the band can’t or won’t stop, the lyrics taking on a more emotional weight of having to cut someone off because it’s the best thing for you, hitting hard with “I never wanna let you go, it’s so hard when I see through you”. Dirty Denim starts purposefully and pauses a beat before it reveals its true speed and fervour, Harry dropping down to a lower register that almost turns her voice sardonic against a backdrop of brassy, venom-coated instrumentals. Nice N’ Rough ends on rock-heavy Power Out, but it certainly doesn’t feel like a gentle power down, with layered yells of “There’s gonna be a power out, the British are in town” and unstoppably scrappy strings and drums, it ends the album on the carefree, fun-filled tone that’s been core throughout.
Score: 8/10
Nice N' Rough will be released on 25th September 2026 via Venn Records.
Words: Julia Stark
Photos: Maciek Mastalerz
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