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If the broken statue of Ozymandias, the titular tyrant of Shelley’s famous sonnet, embodies the idea that even the most powerful empires are swept away in time, then perhaps Split Second represents the new guard who has come along to claim the musical landscape from the ghosts of the past. Once the bastion of cliched and bombastic rock bands, throwaway, saccharine pop wannabees, try-hard, cooler-than-thou indie kids, the musical landscape seems to be changing, and bands such as Split Second are part of that change.
Whereas music used to be made along strict demarcations and tribal allegiances, that is being overturned by bands who don’t see a problem with taking inspiration from any and every past genre to build a new sound, happy hopping the divides and storming the barricades—bands such as Split Second.
“Ozymandias” is the perfect example of this new creative lawlessness. It is a song with indie-pop infectiousness and rock energy, a bossa nova groove, and arabesque sonic motifs. It runs on easy accessibility yet incorporates early 19th-century romantic poetry. It is a song about the band’s own life experiences yet incorporates that stark poetic warning against hubris and stagnation. That’s a lot to fit into one song, but they do it seemingly without breaking a sweat.
Nothing lasts forever, not even the most powerful empires and most revered kings, that is the message, but at least, for three and a half minutes, you will feel as if you have the world at your feet.*
*If you don’t get the humor in the last line, you need to read the poem. It’s a killer joke, believe me.
