Bristol-based techno rock hybrid SCALPING will release their debut album Void on April 29 through Houndstooth. Where previous recordings were born from improvisation, this was made completely differently, electronic maestro Alex Hill explains:
“We wrote this whole album without playing a single note of it together… We produced all of the songs using the computer – as a blend of recordings and samples of our live drums, guitars and drum machines into production software – and then translated it all back into a live performance. And although there are structured songs on the record, there’s no explicit focus on exactly recreating those songs live either. Everything is adapted to work into a set that flows well. A lot of album parts are rewritten during rehearsals for the good of the live set as a whole.”
They’ve previewed it by sharing a glorious lead single called “Flashforward”.
In my review of SCALPING’s debut EP Flood I concluded by saying “They’re certainly going to have to figure out more ways to ensure their sound remains gripping without overwhelming by the time they attempt a full-length” and that’s exactly what they’ve done with “Flashforward”. The mind-numbing technicality and blend of styles is still there, but there’s more tones, textures and dynamism. An ethereal female vocal is the first major addition, but there are many more new ideas chucked in with the way they layer and produce the mounds of instrumentation. “Flashforward”, true to its title, does feel like a step into a future world where everything is gleaming and beautiful – but there’s an undercurrent that suggests a pernicious force is lurking. Let’s hope we get to hear much more of this new depth on Void.
Listen to “Flashforward” via the video below or find it on streaming platforms.
SCALPING’s debut album Void is out on April 29 through Houndstooth (pre-order/save). They’ve got these dates coming up:
16th Feb – Belgrave Music Hall, Leeds*
17th Feb – The White Hotel, Salford*
18th Feb – The Ferret, Preston
19th Feb – Future Yard, Birkenhead*
23rd Feb – The Trades Club, Hebden Bridge*
25th Feb – The Black Price, Northampton*
26th Feb – Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff
5th May – fabric, London
1st Sep – End Of The Road Festival
18th Nov – ‘The Horrors Present, Metal Rain’, The Marble Factory, Bristol
* – w/ Mandy + Indiana
