Album Review: Splashh - Comfort

Comfort, the debut record from multi-national four-piece Splashh, has overall merit as an album, which in fact surpasses the strength of their singles. Production on the record takes a back seat to make way for a warm garage aesthetic paired with simple, catchy melodies. Splashh's potential for sheer lo-fi goodness is immediately conveyed through the album's energetic opener Headspins, with its addictive bass hook and fuzzy melody.

Their three singles follow, starting with All I Wanna Do – a track that flaunts frontman Sasha Carlson's hazy, Noel Gallagher-inspired vocals. The track utilises Britpop and stoner-rock elements combined with a contemporary fuzz-pop twist and hooky bridge. Their following single Need It demonstrates that the band's name isn't the only thing borrowed from Wavves. The track has a strikingly similar melody line to King Of The Beach, while also mirroring their garage ethos and laissez-faire attitude. However, while this and third single Vacation display derivative qualities and somewhat grating vocals, altogether they just work.   

Surfer-punk track So Young is a definite highlight with the glowing potential to be an anthemic, summer pop song.  “You're young/You're so young”, chants Carlson, and although this is meant pejoratively, it draws attention to Splashh's bratty exuberance and the refreshing naivety of their album. From chiller songs Lemonade and Feels Like You the record takes a different turn, allowing for the spirited first half of Comfort to dominate and stick in your memory while the second half peters out a little. However, the psych-pop Lost Your Cool is a satisfying closer with its wall-of-sound scuzziness – the perfect comedown to this hazy record. This album could certainly feature on a list of quintessential summer road-trip records, which holds these celebrated newbies in good stead for the future.