SPLASHH

Forming in the Hackney sector of London in the winter of 2012, Splashh quickly developed a neo-shoegaze sound through a prolific string of singles that made waves on the Internet shortly after their release. The band, made up of Australian singer Toto Vivian, New Zealand-born guitarist Sasha Carlson, drummer Jacob Moore, and bassist Thomas Beal, followed in the footsteps of shoegaze figureheads like My Bloody Valentine, Ride, Chapterhouse, and Loop, but added a considerable amount of unhinged feedback to the mix more in line with Jesus and Mary Chain or Dinosaur Jr. guitar heroics. A single for their song "Need It" was released in July of 2012 as the band played out locally as well as on the summer festival circuit. Their debut album, Comfort, arrived in the spring of 2013. After tour obligations were met, Carlson moved to New York City in late 2013 and teamed with Jaie Gonzalez of the band Kudogon to play shows as a stripped-down version of Splashh. Vivian and Beal soon joined the pair, and work on their second album commenced. Moore didn't make the trip, and it was soon announced that he was no longer with the band. The reconfigured quartet decided to move away from the sound of their first album toward something with more electronic influences. As they worked, they played occasionally throughout 2014 and debuted new songs live. Toward the end of the year, they added a full-time drummer, Angus Tarnawsky, to the lineup. The first fruits of the band's efforts came to light in early 2015 when the "Pure Blue" single was released on Luv Luv Luv Records. It was recorded in Vivian's home studio and mixed by Nicolas Vernhes. Splashh continued working on new material, and in May of 2016 they signed with Cinematic Music Group and headed to Vernhes' Rare Book Room Studio in New York to record their second album. Once there, the quartet went back to the dream pop/shoegaze sound of their first album, with only a trace of the electronics they had been experimenting with over the previous few years. Titled Waiting a Lifetime, the album was released in April of 2017.
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