Split

Mumbai-based Split grime-tunes a wicked, impudent, unapologetic siren on P is for Pig. ”˜Pig Society’ sets off a blistering bullet with its grease-laced punk-grunge, which drops into an Alice in Chains-y chorus. Vocalist Garreth D’Mello yowls his lungs out as he barks fierce and political (“A cloud of rage that will grapple you/By the throat, by the balls, by the collar of a uniform shirt.”) Another popular Split number, ”˜Holy Ghost Machine Gun’ pounds hard and fast with all its militant potency. The band’s newer tracks like ”˜Fingerprints’ veer away from the concussive guitar whiplash. “In all the years since I was born/I left no mark/Upon this world,” D’Mello’s baritone drawls to some delicate blues riffs, but the grit-factor isn’t completely undermined as they follow it up with some screeching guitar work. ”˜60 Seconds,’ which clocks in at exactly a minute, is a potent squelcher, it’s quick outrage ”“ a neat shot of Split’s brash soul. An aching tenderness underlines the dark, acoustic ballad ”˜Isn’t it Strange,’ ”“ it’s like the chaser that smoothens out the coarseness on this EP.

Key Tracks: ‘Pig Society’ and ‘Isn’t it Strange’