We're here to do our own thing: Gareth D'mello

Formed in 2001, Mumbai-based post-grunge rock band Split is rather aptly named because of its history of members joining and leaving the group since its inception. While such things tend to reflect on almost any band in a not-so-good way, the current line up of members - Gareth D'Mello (vocals), Melroy D'Mello (guitarist), Aviv Pereira (guitarist), Shekhar Mohite (bass) and Varoon Aiyer (drums) - managed to release the band's first EP, P is for Pig, that very year.
Now, they are gearing up for the release of their debut album Counting Perfume, that will be launched on February 12.
Gareth reminisces about the early days of Split when they would often play covers by Nirvana, Pearl Jam, System of a Down, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Audioslave and the like. Of the current quintent, Shekhar has the unique distinction of being the original member of the band. Before joining Split, Gareth and Mel were a part of Mr Jones Band. In order to pursue their passion for music, all the band members have turned full-time musicians since 2009. Guitarist Aviv who initially worked in a call centre, runs an independent jam room in Thane and teaches guitar. Besides dabbling as a vocalist for Split, Gareth is the founder of Dischordian, an acoustic folk-punk band with a slight Goan flavour. The others members meanwhile pursue a varied number of activities and interests. They usually jam over the weekends and if they have an upcoming gig, they meet three to four times a week at various jam rooms across the city.
Speaking about the band's much delayed debut album Counting Perfume, Gareth says, "We began working on it in October 2010. We finished pretty quickly but our launch got delayed because we didn't find the right people when it came to managing, producing, funding, etc. The album has 13 songs inclusive of five songs from our EP P Is For Pigs." The songs on this album include the tracks Pig Society, a surreal rant about the horrendous experiences of train travel coupled with the city bomb blasts and more; Isn't It Strange is a slow number, essentially a love-break up song; 60 Seconds captures the experience of being in a traffic signal; Holy Ghost Machine, a satire on a Christian evangelist; Mr Anderson is about questioning the world's view. The responsibility of the songs lyrics are shared by Aviv, Melroy and Gareth.
Split are influenced by bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Sound Garden, Smashing Pumpkins just to name a few. And though the band describe themselves as a post-grunge rock band, they dislike being blanketed as musicians making "dark and angry music", as they also have slow numbers about love. Says Gareth, "We are here to do our own thing. We want to achieve satisfaction by putting our music for our fans. Our fans can expect some good intense music."
Split will be performing at a South Mumbai club on Sunday to launch their album.