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Splendid, real name Teagan Silvey, from British Columbia, CA is a 19-year old artist on a mission; his recent endeavors with artists such as BBYGOYARD, various members of the internet hip-hop collective Shed Theory such as Marlon DuBois and Henry Mosto, and other members of that general Shed-adjacent sphere have populated his page in recent memory as his profile grows past that of a young, hobbyist musician to that of a fully-formed artist with each new release.
2/1/25
His vocals leave nothing to be desired, whether he’s crooning through pluggnB beats that’d make the strongest spirit weep or energetically shouting over supertrap-esque beats (often courtesy of Alien Rave Dance Party), each performance lives up to the last and sets a new standard for the artist. Splendid’s following has grown exponentially since I first got into contact with the Moongang affiliate– from roughing out about a hundred plays per song to hitting quadruple-digit numbers on deep EP cuts, the audience that he has cultivated has responded accordingly to his ever-increasing work ethic as well as the consistency in quality and focus that he has been able to show through his creative endeavors.
Splendid's latest effort, a three-song EP simply titled “Who Cares”, comes at the heels of his 2024 mixtape titled “Rest In Piss” as well as a string of singles that all embody the beautiful-yet-melancholic character that his music has taken on since late 2023. This EP is no different, immediately kicking off with the pluggnB anthem “No Lies”, produced by Xannybeatsz; from the opening bars (“I can see the world when I look into her eyes / Yeah, you lookin’ so good, you ain’t even gotta dry”), Splendid fits himself comfortably into the new crop of ambient-leaning pluggnB artists looking to make a name for themselves in terms of style and general aesthetic with the stop-and-start plugg beats that evoke as much MexikoDro as they do Izaya Tiji, but his soul-piercing croon immediately sets him apart from his contemporaries. The microgenre that much of Splendid’s work inhabits (including all of “Who Cares”) is aptly titled ‘lispnB’, an even more drugged-out splinter of the ever-burgeoning underground plugg scenes pioneered by Shed Theory artists such as woody. (fka Dream Caster), Tek Lintowe, and Dugan, but the term feels reductive to describe Splendid’s performances on these songs– while they aren’t the deepest tracks in terms of lyricism or subject matter, the standout quality of the EP itself is only accented by the fact that the majority of the performances were recorded and mixed in the span of one night on Splendid’s iPhone via the popular mobile DAW BandLab.
His ear for melody and harmony is nearly unmatched within the subgenre as a whole, even without access to certain tools that larger artists may have at their disposal, making each and every one of his performances more impressive than the last as he continues to improve. It is immediately clear how much adoration Splendid has for his musical influences, and the artist is exceptional at carving his own lane within the confines of the oft-imitated stylings of the group, likely a big factor as to why the members immediately took him under their wing. It doesn’t feel like imitation as much as adoption and innovation within each song on the EP.
With songs such as “Ryders at a bar”, the glittery, twinking synths and frenetic drums combine a gleeful sound selection with somber chords and a sparse arrangement; the plugg hi-hats cut in and out as Splendid’s finely-tuned voice cuts through the mix, his syrupy cadence and despondent lyrics offering the same unique and surprising contrast that the instrumental does (courtesy of producer Yablan). The songs on the EP might not break too much new ground in their short runtime, but the emotion they evoke is as tangible and pointed as any of the genres’ best artists. It only creates more giddiness for Splendid’s sophomore album, which is in the early stages of development as of the writing of this article. “Test Drive”, produced by Sillyaris and RCKTS, is perhaps my personal favorite of the three– his vocal inflections are much like that of Marlon DuBois and Lil Peep if you put both in the blender with an added 2oz helping of Wockhardt cough syrup. The song is debilitatingly brief, with earworm leads and a mesmerizing drum line complete with hi-hats that never seem to find their place in the stereo field as they glide between ears, but it only serves the insane catchiness of the track and allows Splendid the ability to perform as well as possible without overstaying his welcome; while it can be frustrating as I want about twenty minutes more of this song, it’s one of the hallmarks of underground rap that can’t be taken for granted, as some younger artists’ experiments with longer tracks can go horribly awry without the creative direction necessary to guide them into giving cohesion to longer projects, especially single tracks. It’s good to know when to stop, and Splendid is able to do so while leaving me feeling satisfied with what I’ve heard.
The EP is short and sweet, but it’s a testament to Splendid’s growing talent and place within the lispnB microgenre that has claimed its throne as one of the leading sounds within the underground rap movement of the 2020s. He innovates more vocally than a lot of artists that try to imitate the Shed Theory wave, and he takes more risks with beats and cadences than many of his peers as well, which I believe sets him apart from his peers as it’s clear that he’s not ‘stuck’ to this one particular wave– he just happens to be really, really good at it. I’m amazed thinking about how his second album might sound if this was an EP of loosies finished within the span of a night, especially if he were to level up the recording equipment a bit, but as I mentioned before, nothing about his performance leaves anything to be desired in the context of the songs themselves which is an exceptionally hard feat to pull off in a scene so oversaturated with people trying to do the same exact sound in a significantly worse way. Check out his first full-length album, ‘Rest in Piss’, as well as his recent string of loosies (including ‘Xanada’ with BBYGOYARD and Friz) to get a better idea of Splendid’s sound and versatility– this is gonna be one of the last times you might be able to without your friend in your ear telling you how late you really are.
Listen To Who Cares: soundcloud.com/splendid-612893409/sets/truly-splendid?si=32996f4dcba44880b5c10725fe367366&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
Follow Splendid: x.com/Splendid_Real
www.instagram.com/trulysplendid_/?hl=en
Written By Steve Warner/xoarctic: x.com/xoxoarctic
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