San Diego’s gnarly, wayfarer adorned, color-mottled Splavender has been releasing aching sonnets of sun-soaked reflection for a minute now. This year, we went bonkers over “Honeysuckle” (my neighbors can recite the lyrics even though they’ve never played the song on their own). The band – Ellis D, Oscar Carrion, Anthony Noriega, André Flores, and Grant Glibert – form a phalanx of weirdos that create propulsive, existential, and sardonic songs of wave crashing bliss.
This week, Splavender released the in-studio video for “Opposite of Love”, a new cut off of their upcoming EP, “Chill ’em All” (best, most indicative, title ever). With Scott Lehman behind the controls, we dig into the bone marrow of the band as if we were Anthony Bourdain after a bender. “Opposite of Love” has horn-infused revelry, dismissive lamentations, and the gonzo colors of a drunken Matisse. We see shades of TV Girl’s rolling foam narrative and Reptar’s hiccuping elation, but Splavender is their own, inimitable, snapback-wearing beast. It’s hard to imagine an ensemble of musicians more characteristic of what it’s like to be a San Diegan. This shit satiates my soul like an emotional potsticker. Check out the video to their new song below.
