Split Vision Give Us A Glimpse of What's To Come with "Out Of Nowhere"
A new single release from Split Vision brings out some of the better elements of what I would consider to be a blend of both New Wave, hints of post-punk, and synth-pop, as the song boasts vintage keys and synthesizers throughout its course, giving it that almost nostalgic undertone, along with some spacious, reverb-affected elements that give the track plenty of depth.
The soundscape this track provides is brilliantly layered because it takes a sort of simplified approach and makes it a bit more sonically thriving.
For me, it's all about the choice of synth tones that these guys are using. I feel like there is a lot of attention to that kind of detail, and because of that, they really nail the aesthetic they were going for.
One of the first things that grabbed me about the track is the simple fact that it has a synth hook. I'm a big fan of instrumental hooks in any kind of music. It feels a lot like that's gone away in recent years, and it felt great for these guys to bring it back again.
I absolutely adore their complete approach to the blending of textures and tones together in order to create an atmosphere. That's what synth-pop and New Wave were always all about: creating these atmospheres that you can sort of fall into.
On top of that, the track is completely [unclear]. This is another big element of both of those genres, and believe me, this song hits the almost classic or vintage sound really well.
They weren't trying to give you something completely new or reinvent the wheel. What they are doing is bringing some of their biggest influences to the table. You can hear those '80s and '90s synthwave-style influences coming through continuously throughout this track.
I really loved how they didn't try to change things up too much or reach too far outside the box. They went for the sound that makes them feel good. The song has heart.
It's got that rhythmic bop that keeps things flowing forward, and the energy is specifically really well balanced.
They put in all those little elements, like adding reverb to the snare drum so that it's got that hint of vastness in its undertone.
Those are the kinds of things I can tell they put a lot of thought behind.
But the vocals are kind of robust and very melodically driving, of course. They do match the energy of the instrumentation amazingly and add a bit more color to the song as well. The melodies that are being performed vocally are completely addicting, and there are more than a few hooks, including that big chorus.
As the song opens up into those choruses, you start to get a bit of an orchestrated feel with strings and more. This lets the song feel super full-bodied and lush. I like the thickness of those choruses and how they bring a lot of flavor and plenty to chew on.
The song has that cinematic backbone. In my opinion, it feels filmic not just because of the strings and orchestrated sections, but because of the emotion behind it.
The song is like a love song. It's got hints of romantic tonality and sentiment that come through, and in this particular case, it works perfectly.
Once again, this is because it's very well balanced.
During some of those choruses, you can also hear an almost choir-like background set of vocals that are also bringing a lot more presence to the table.
This is a group that absolutely knows how to bring out the big guns when it comes to creating those choruses that are spirited and almost uplifting.
All in all, this was loads of fun, and as far as we can tell, this is just a bit of a glimpse into a bigger release upcoming.
I certainly can't wait for that one, especially if there's more of this on it. I hope that it's a full LP or at least an EP of these kinds of almost '80s and '90s synth-pop and New Wave sounds that give me those bouts of nostalgia that I'm looking for.
Listening, I wanted to know more. I decided to have a chat with the guys to find out where this track came from and what is actually upcoming.
So, while you check this track out, have a read of our interview with Split Vision below.
Whatever you do, don't miss this single, and remember where you heard it first.
What is this single about and where did it come from?
“Out of Nowhere” is basically about that unexpected moment when something changes emotionally. You can spend a long time wondering what another person feels, carrying doubts and old disappointments with you, and then suddenly everything becomes clear. Love can appear almost out of nowhere.
Musically, we wanted the song to have that same feeling – something melodic and romantic, but with a certain melancholy underneath it. Then the chorus opens up and becomes bigger and more uplifting.
I am certainly hearing some different approaches on this song! Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
We both grew up with the electronic music of the 1980s, so bands like Depeche Mode, Yazoo, Erasure and Pet Shop Boys have always been important influences for us.
For the new album, Alphaville has been a particularly important reference when it comes to the sound of the synthesizers. Not the songs themselves, but the actual sonic character of those classic synths and the atmosphere they could create.
That has really been the idea behind this period of Split Vision: what would we have sounded like if we had been able to use the kind of synthesizers Alphaville had access to in the 1980s?
So the inspiration is very much about the sound palette rather than trying to recreate anyone else’s music.
How did this project start for you guys? How did you even meet?
It actually started through a small chain of friendships.
Dan had a friend called Hans when he was studying engineering in high school. Hans had a younger brother, Ulf, and Ulf had a friend called Henric. The four of us quickly discovered that we all shared the same passion for synth music, so starting a band felt like the obvious thing to do.
Over time, Hans and Ulf moved on because of university studies and other things in life, and eventually Dan and Henric were the two who remained.
For many years we mainly played cover songs together, but the love for synth music never disappeared. Eventually we decided that we wanted to properly bring Split Vision back, now as the two of us, with the same passion for electronic music that brought us together in the first place.
Do you both write the songs together most of the time?
The songs are very much shaped by both of us. Sometimes an idea may begin with a melody, a synth part, a chord sequence or a lyrical idea, but the final Split Vision sound comes from working on it together.
We also know each other’s musical strengths very well by now, which makes the process quite natural. After making music together for such a long time, we usually have a pretty good idea of where the other person wants to take a song.
Are you performing any live shows, or is this a recording project?
It is definitely not only a recording project.
This year we played at The Basement in Copenhagen in January, followed by a show in Kristianstad, Sweden, in February, and another performance in Dalby in Skåne in May.
Recording and writing are a huge part of what we do, but we really enjoy bringing the music onto a stage as well. Electronic music changes character when you perform it live, and that is something we want to continue exploring alongside the studio work.
Is this song part of something bigger coming soon? Tell us about that!
Yes! “Out of Nowhere” is part of our upcoming album BetaCity.
The name is actually a deliberate play on the name Alphaville, because we wanted to make the source of the album’s sonic inspiration visible.
But this is very important: BetaCity is not about copying Alphaville’s songs, melodies or songwriting. The inspiration comes specifically from the sound of the synthesizers and the technology they had access to during the 1980s.
The question we kept coming back to was: what would Split Vision have sounded like if we had had access to those instruments back then?
That became the starting point for the album. We have taken inspiration from that particular synth palette and then written our own songs around it. So BetaCity is still completely Split Vision, just seen through a slightly different electronic lens.
Do you record at a large studio or use a home DAW setup?
We work in our own studio environment rather than going into a large commercial studio.
Our main DAW is Nuendo, together with a Universal Audio Apollo system, and we use a combination of hardware synthesizers, software instruments and modern production tools.
We really like mixing old and new technology. There is something very inspiring about the character of classic synthesizers, but modern production gives you possibilities that would have been unimaginable when we first started making electronic music in the 1980s.
For BetaCity in particular, the choice of synth sounds has been a very important part of creating the identity of the album.
Did you self-produce this release, or did you work with an outside producer?
We produced “Out of Nowhere” ourselves.
That is an important part of Split Vision for us. Writing, arranging, choosing the sounds and building the production are all connected, especially with electronic music. The production itself becomes part of the songwriting.
It also gives us the freedom to keep experimenting until something really feels like us.
What would you say people can expect from this single and the full album?
With “Out of Nowhere,” people can expect melodic synthpop with a strong 80s influence, bright synthesizers, a little melancholy and a big chorus.
The full album takes that idea further. BetaCity has several different moods, but the common thread is the synth sound and the atmosphere.
The idea was never to recreate the 1980s song by song. Instead, we wanted to imagine what Split Vision might have sounded like if we had been standing in a studio in the 1980s with access to that kind of high-end synth equipment.
So there is nostalgia in the sound, but the songs themselves are ours and belong very much to where Split Vision is today.
Before we go, what would you like to express to fans and listeners of the music?
Mostly, thank you.
Split Vision has existed in different forms for a very long time, and the fact that people are still discovering our music – both listeners who grew up with synthpop and completely new listeners – means a great deal to us.
What makes it even more special is that the same passion for synth music that originally brought us together all those years ago is still there.
We are still making music because we genuinely love doing it. Every message, playlist addition, review, stream and person who takes the time to listen gives us even more motivation to continue.
And if you enjoyed “Out of Nowhere,” there is much more to come with BetaCity.
Thank you for listening and for being part of the journey.
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