We here at The Nu Metal Agenda have had our eye on self-described "dreamo" band Split Chain for some time. While often categorized as "nu-gaze," or even "grungegaze," the Bristol five-piece are anything but shy about their nu metal influences, chief among them Deftones. have been making waves around here for some time. Now the band has released "sylvia (i won't belong to you)," their first new music since their debut album motionblur. The dynamic new track finds the band cranking up the dreamier aspects of their sound while still making room for moments of heaviness and rage.
Lead singer/guitarist Bert Martinez-Cowles details the song's creation:
[The new song was written] at a very odd time for us. After finishing one of the busiest and best years of our lives, from our first time in the U.S. to dropping our debut album, it was the first time we had a bit of time to ourselves. We were back in the 'real world', taking everything in that we’ve missed and truly realised why we do this in the first place.
The world is horrible, hate is everywhere and living just feels like a constant struggle, with the people in control who act like it’s a game.
Martinez-Cowles goes on explain the song's cinematic inspiration and title:
It was a Truman Show feeling that we couldn’t shake, which is where the song was created from, with the name being based on the character Sylvia. It’s a song about how it feels that we’re living in this made-up, messed-up world, and wanting to not be a part of it and escape to a better place, a different time.
Starting this month, fans see Split Chain live as special guests on The Devil Wears Prada's Flowers Tour along with Worcester, Mass pop-punkers Four Year Strong and Denton, Texas metalcore outfit I Promised the World. After that, Split Chain will join emo post-rockers Downward and Massachusetts alt-rockers dream fatigue as support on Soul Blind's Red Sky Mourning Tour.
Check out dates for the tour, as well as the music video for "sylvia (i won't belong to you)," below.
Split Chain's debut, motionblur, is out now on Epitaph Records.
Flowers Tour 2026
03/13 Oklahoma City, OK @ Diamond Ballroom
03/14 Ft. Worth, TX @ Tannahill’s Tavern & Music Hall
03/15 San Antonio, TX @ Vibes Event Center
03/17 Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theatre
03/18 Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
03/20 Riverside, CA @ Riverside Municipal Auditorium
03/21 San Diego, CA @ Soma
03/22 Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades
03/24 Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory
03/25 Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory
03/27 Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot
03/28 Denver, CO @ Summit
03/29 Lawrence, KS @ Granada
03/31 Minneapolis, MN @ The Fillmore
04/01 Madison, WI @ Sylvee
04/02 Grand Rapids, MI @ The Intersection
04/03 Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
04/05 Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz
04/07 Jacksonville, FL @ FIVE
04/08 Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution
04/10 North Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues
04/11 Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
04/12 Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl
The Red Sky Mourning Tour 2026
04/14 Toronto, ON @ Hard Luck
04/15 Detroit, MI @ The Sanctuary
04/16 Chicago, IL @ Reggies
04/23 Vancouver, BC @ The Pearl
04/24 Seattle, WA @ The Vera Project
04/25 Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall
04/27 Berkeley, CA @ Cornerstone
04/28 Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room
04/29 Phoenix, AZ @ Rosetta Room
05/01 Austin, TX @ 29th Street Ballroom
05/03 Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
05/07 Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
05/08 Philadelphia, PA @ Ukie Club
05/09 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
05/10 Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
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