''Split'' is the third studio album by English

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band Lush, released on

4AD 4AD is a British record label owned by Beggars Group. It was founded in London under the name "Axis" (after the Hendrix album) by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent in 1980 as an imprint of Beggars Banquet Records. The name was changed to 4AD a ...

on 13 June 1994 in the United Kingdom and a day later in the US. Two commercial singles were released from the album: "Desire Lines" and "Hypocrite", both released on 30 May 1994. ''Split'' was reissued by 4AD on CD in July 2001.

Recording

Lush chose to work with producer Mike Hedges because they "loved" his work on '' Sulk'' by the Associates, '' A Kiss in the Dreamhouse'' by Siouxsie and the Banshees, and ''

Seventeen Seconds ''Seventeen Seconds'' is the second studio album by English rock band the Cure, released on 18 April 1980 by Fiction Records. The album marked the first time frontman Robert Smith co-produced with Mike Hedges. After the departure of original ba ...

'' by

the Cure The Cure are an English rock band formed in 1978 in Crawley, West Sussex. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith has remained the only constant member. The band's ...

, according to Miki Berenyi.Ashton, Martin
"Chorus Lines - Lush In Conversation With Martin Aston
4ad.com. Retrieved 2 May 2018. They first recorded at Rockfield in Wales and then mixed at Hedges's house in France, but as Phil King remembered it, "it sounded as flat as a pancake, no dynamics at all". They finally decided to have the entire album remixed by

Alan Moulder Alan Moulder (born 11 June 1959) is an English record producer, mixing engineer, and audio engineer. Early life Moulder was born on 11 June 1959 in Boston, Lincolnshire. He was educated at Boston Grammar School. He had an interest in music fro ...

, because he had already worked with My Bloody Valentine and

Ride Ride may refer to: People * MC Ride, a member of Death Grips * Sally Ride (1951–2012), American astronaut * William Ride (19262011), Australian zoologist Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Ride'' (1998 film), a 1998 comedy by Millicen ...

. Berenyi's verdict was positive, "Alan was brilliant".

Reception

'' Select''s Roy Wilkinson gave the album a negative review, describing it as "mid-paced stuff, fitting between melancholy and listlessness". The review went on to state, "There's nothing wrong with a dose of heavyweight introspection per se. But a pretty deft touch is needed to translate it movingly to the recording studio". In a retrospective review, Andy Kellman, writing for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

, was far more positive: "''Split'' touches on most forms of emotional turbulence. A legitimizing stunner, the record prevented the band from being lost amidst the bunker of form-over-function dream pop bands. ''Split'' shattered every negative aspect of those failed acts with flying colors. A fantastic record within any realm." In 2018, ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

'' ranked the album at number 27 on its list of "The 30 Best Dream Pop Albums".

Track listing

Release history

Singles

*"Hypocrite" (30 May 1994) **CD (BAD 4008 CD); 12" vinyl (BAD 4008) **# "Hypocrite" – 2:58 **# "Love at First Sight" – 5:12 (The Gist cover, written by Stuart Moxham) **# "Cat's Chorus" – 3:23 **# "Undertow (Spooky Remix)" – 9:13 **7" vinyl (AD 4008) **# "Hypocrite" – 2:58 **# "Cat's Chorus" – 3:23 *"Desire Lines" (30 May 1994) **CD (BAD 4010 CD); 12" vinyl (BAD 4010) **# "Desire Lines" – 7:29 **# "White Wood" – 4:14 **# "Girl's World" – 4:56 **# "Lovelife (Suga Bullit Remix)" – 8:15 **7" vinyl (AD 4010) **# "Desire Lines" – 7:29 **# "Girl's World" – 4:56 *"When I Die" (promo only, June 1994) **Radio promo CD (PRO-CD-7048) **# "When I Die (

Scott Litt Scott Warren Litt (born March 10, 1954) is an American record producer who mostly works with artists in the alternative rock genre and is best known for producing six R.E.M. albums in the late 1980s and early to mid-1990s during the band's most su ...

Remix)" – 4:20 **# "Light from a Dead Star (Album Version)" – 3:17 **# "Lovelife (Album Version)" – 3:57 *"Lovelife" (promo only, 1994) **Radio promo CD (PRO-CD-7092) **# "Lovelife (Album Version)" – 3:56 **# "Lovelife (Suga Bullit Remix Edit)" – 5:28 **# "Lovelife (Suga Bullit Remix)" – 8:15

Personnel

Lush * Chris Acland – drums * Emma Anderson –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

* Miki Berenyi – vocals, guitars * Phil King – bass

Charts

References

{{Authority control 1994 albums Lush (band) albums Albums produced by Mike Hedges 4AD albums Albums recorded at Rockfield Studios Albums recorded in a home studio