Hundredth - Faded Splendor

“hooky and clean and big” – Stereogum

“Hundredth have changed their style up a lot over the years, and this new one finds them embracing aughts-era dance-punk” – BrooklynVegan

Hundredth have built a career on transformation, embracing change as their most defining trait. Over the past decade, the South Carolina-based band have forged a reputation for pushing boundaries, evolving their sound with each new album as if stepping into a new world. From their ferocious hardcore roots to the lush, immersive shoegaze of RARE—which landed on Stereogum’s 50 Best Albums of 2017 list—to the shimmering, cinematic synthpop of Somewhere Nowhere, each release has felt like the birth of a different band. Hundredth have explored a kaleidoscope of genres with unrelenting curiosity. Each era truly feels like a new identity—sometimes bruising, sometimes beautiful, but always unrelenting in its desire to move forward.

Now, after five years in the dark, they return with Faded Splendor—a vivid collision of post-punk urgency and widescreen indie rock. The album draws from decades of alternative influence: the angular pulse of early-2000s revival, the brooding intensity of ‘80s UK post-punk, the anthemic shimmer of ‘90s alt-rock, and the atmospheric drift of dream pop—with a touch of alt-country flickering in the margins, perhaps just a symptom of growing up in the South. But it isn’t nostalgia—it’s propulsion.

The record opens with “Curve”, a soaring, emotionally charged track that sets the pace, with a lush, expansive sound reminiscent of Silversun Pickups or the atmospheric qualities of early-’00s indie rock. “Big Love” follows, carrying the weight of widescreen power-pop with an infectious, shimmering energy. “Dark Side,” the lead single, earned praise from Stereogum, who likened its energy to early Bloc Party, highlighting Chadwick Johnson’s vocal “burly intensity” over a hook that’s “clean and big.” “All The Way” channels anthemic dance-punk and widescreen indie, with a stadium-sized energy driven by a pounding 4/4 pulse and angular guitars. “Blitz”delivers a tightly wound, post-punk anthem—relentless and cathartic, landing somewhere between Placebo, Interpol, and the explosive fervor of early Arcade Fire.

“Waste” grinds through a wall of blown-out guitars before collapsing into a chaotic swirl of samples and turntables—one of the album’s most unpredictable moments. “Glimmer”follows like the end of a coming-of-age film—euphoric, nostalgic, and wide open. Then “Dazzle” pulls the rug again, blending alt-country vocal inflection with dream pop textures that recall the melodicism of Dizzy Up the Girl-era Goo Goo Dolls or early Third Eye Blind. The closer, “Faded Splendor,” slyly leads the listener to the edge—then freefalls into ambient jazz. It feels less like a curtain call and more like a cliff dive.

“We dove in super deep with this album,” says Johnson. “It was a lot of trial and error. We explored countless directions, chasing something that felt unique and truly special for us.”

The breakthrough came when two anchor points revealed themselves. “‘Big Love” and “Waste” felt like opposite poles of the same world,” Johnson explains. “Once those existed, we let the rest of the album live in between them.”

Faded Splendor took shape over years of writing and experimenting, but it wasn’t until a focused, three-month creative sprint that everything truly came together. What began as a collection of scattered ideas—fragments left behind while searching for the next direction—eventually clicked into place, forming something cohesive and unexpected. The result is Hundredth’s most expansive, dynamic work to date: urgent, elegant, and unapologetically bold.