SPLINTER

“Vryheid” (‘Freedom’) was written at a time, for me, when I was really struggling with the culture I grew up in. I felt like there were so many things, so many rules about what you should be and how you should live your life; they were forcing this idea of how you should be happy, and if you don’t agree with that then you’re wrong,” says Reyneke.

Botes does most of the production, but the writing process is a collaborative effort with contributions from friends and family. “Taxi”, his favourite track on Woes in Wonderland, their upcoming album, began as a chorus borrowed from a poem Reyneke’ sister, Cherise Reyneke, wrote. They added the verses from an old song Reyneke had written a few years back, and workshopped the song until it felt right: like staring out through a taxi window on a rainy day, with no idea exactly where you’re headed.

“Production is always about problem solving and I believe that an important attitude comes from embracing problems. Every good mix was once a bad one that just got the attention it deserved. Furthermore, problem solving could at times require the addition of imperfections to reach a state of being pleasing,” says Botes.

He explains, “I would label my approach as striving to always find the middle between pragmatism and aesthetics. I do not accept the traditional view of an “authentic” recording, in fact I always infuse my recordings with elements that enhance the personality of the performer.” Splinter credits fellow bands The Stone Cherries and Cape Riot with supporting them and helping them find their feet in the local live music scene. Splinter will be performing at Trenchtown on 4 August at 20:00, along with The Stone Cherries and ThreeOhFive. Woes in Wonderland is dropping on 10 September, and the music video for “Papiere” will be out soon. Check out Splinter on Spotify or wherever you get your music.

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