For many of us, soul music is a fondness we just can’t shake, and finding “new” soul music often means digging deep into the crates for something fresh -- if you’ve found yourself in this situation, might we prescribe checking out THE SPLIT.
For brothers Curtis and Matt Chaffey and their ensemble, new life is breathed into that soulful sound you’ve been yearning for by stark ingenuity. The band’s break-out project Can’t Get Enough is energetically infused with guitar parts, horns and bass reminiscent of 60’s soul rock and 70’s soul funk, and features dreamy synth sequences that render its sound euphoric and entirely distinct.
“When Curtis and I started the Split we knew we needed a foundation, a sound that put us in the category of R&B/soul, but not nostalgic soul, on Can’t Get Enough, on songs like Attitude and I Tried To Be Your Man, we accomplished that (goal) by incorporating modern sounds with more traditional ones.”
THE SPLIT's original songs are vivacious dance tunes as much as they are melancholic reflections on life and love. Lead singer Matt Chaffey’s smoky timbre elicits memories of Chess Records’ golden era, while poignantly expressing meditations on loss, stress, heartbreak, and starting over. If you’ve been searching for a sound that reflects and distinctly re-imagines the best of soul music, look no further than THE SPLIT.
Working with the talented and experienced Ken Friesen (The Tragically Hip, Great Big Sea et al.) and Phillip Victor Bova (Feist, Bahamas, Hilotrons et al.), THE SPLIT's debut EP Can’t Get Enough combines the mind-blowing vocals of frontman Matthew Chaffey, hard-hitting bass lines, and incredible horn tracks laid down by the legendary Texas Horns (Austin, TX).
“The band is channelling the soul and R&B influences in new directions, and daring to bring in pieces of this or that from here or there. At times Curtis’s guitar was psychedelic, or flirted with rockabilly, or tossed off a riff straight out of ’80s pop. “What you got to do,” Matthew howled over that latter riff, “what you got to do!” Judging by the response of the sold-out audience, what you got to do is get up and dance.”