splitxlip are a new alternative rock band from Bristol, fronted by Bailey Blair with Mikey Dobbins on guitar and Joe Clements on drums. Bailey writes and produces the songs herself, and the three of them bring them to life as a band; their reference points run from Blur, Arctic Monkeys and Garbage to Wet Leg and the indie and Britpop of the early 2000s. "What You Waiting For?", the band's debut single, came out on October 9. It is a song for anyone who keeps putting life on hold until the moment feels right, mixed by Mark Needham, known for his work with The Killers, and mastered by João Carvalho, who has worked with The Smashing Pumpkins and alt-J.

Rock is starting to feel like a heritage genre. Distorted guitars, live drums, clanking bass: we've heard it all. We know the history by heart: the fifties, psychedelia, glam, punk, post-punk, grunge, riot grrrl, Britpop, and every "post-" that came after. The genre that took the world by storm again and again, that runs on wild energy the way a car runs on gasoline, has been watered down. Tolstoy once said of Leonid Andreyev: "He tries to scare me, but I'm not scared." That's most rock today.

But when I heard splitxlip it was like a shot of unknown drugs right through my veins. The name says it all: a punch in the face, and the taste of real blood from a split lip on нщгк tongue. Yeah!! This is adrenaline. Rock'n'roll needed it, and who would have thought it would come from a band with one single to its name? The guitars are fat as oxen led to a hecatomb. The drums hit you square in the chest. And Bailey's voice cuts through the track like a bright idea that blows your head open.

The song is about waiting for a right moment that never comes. splitxlip clearly didn't wait: the track goes straight for the jaw, no warm-up. It's only a debut, and I'm already calling it: this band will be big. Remember the name now, so you can say you heard them first. Put it on loud. What are you waiting for?