Split Seven Records

Alternative country (often shortened to alt-country) is a roots-oriented offshoot of country that blends the storytelling, twang, and acoustic instrumentation of classic country with the attitude, DIY ethos, and sonic grit of indie rock and punk. It arose as a reaction to the glossy production and commercial polish of mainstream Nashville in the late 1980s and 1990s. Hallmarks include weathered vocals, prominent acoustic and electric guitars (often with pedal steel), unfussy rhythm sections, and lyrics that foreground realism, heartbreak, working-class lives, and wandering souls. Production tends to be raw and unvarnished, favoring live-in-the-room feel over studio sheen. The result is music that sits comfortably between country, folk, and rock while retaining the emotional directness of traditional country.

Neo-rockabilly is a late-1970s/early-1980s revival and modernisation of 1950s rockabilly, blending the twangy guitar, slap upright bass, and backbeat-driven swing of the original style with the speed, edge, and concise songcraft of punk and new wave. It typically features hollow-body electric guitars with slapback echo, percussive slap double bass lines, and snare-forward drumming that alternates between shuffles and straight rock pulses. Vocals often channel classic rockabilly hiccups and croons but with a brighter, tighter production aesthetic and higher tempos. Lyrical themes commonly celebrate nightlife, romance, cars, and retro Americana filtered through contemporary attitude. The genre developed a parallel visual culture—greaser hair, vintage threads, and tattooed subcultural flair—while remaining musically lean, danceable, and resiliently roots-oriented.

Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll, fusing the twang and storytelling of Southern country ("hillbilly") with the driving backbeat and boogie of rhythm & blues and jump blues. It is marked by slap‑back echo on vocals and guitar, slapping upright bass, twangy hollow‑body electrics, and energetic, danceable grooves. The classic rockabilly sound emerged from mid‑1950s Memphis studios such as Sun Records, where minimal drum kits (or none at all) mixed with percussive bass and bright, overdriven guitars. Songs are typically short, hooky, and built on 12‑bar blues or simple I–IV–V progressions, with lyrics about love, cars, dancing, and youthful rebellion.