SCALPING share a new single and video ‘Remain In Stasis’ featuring Grove, taken from the band’s highly anticipated debut album ‘Void’. The video, recorded on location in the iconic fabric club, is a visceral and raucous live performance which captivates the energy and brutality of the track.
‘Remain in Stasis’ features fast-rising artist Grove; the Bristol-based vocalist, producer and self-professed metalhead whose commanding presence sets the track alight. Grove’s 2021 release ‘Spice’ launched them into prominence.
Me and SCALPING met at Mickey Zogg’s in Bristol since our Noods radio shows are one after the other. I’ve admired their artistry for time and was gassed to be asked to work on a tune together. After a few pints and good conversation on the concept of memory, we got to work warping and playing with their track demo. I landed on lyrically exploring the duality of memory. It has the power to be beautiful/terrifying, reminiscent/ traumatising and all the shades of mundane in between. This is a cathartic exercise of that. ~ Grove
It’s very exciting to share our first music with vocals. This was our first time collaborating musically with someone outside of the band, and working with Grove was amazing. The energy they brought to the process and the way they evolved the song was incredibly refreshing; especially after working on our music remotely through various lockdowns for the best part of two years. Although Remain in Stasis is musically the most straightforward track on the album, it took us the longest to finish. We finished the mix while in the van on the way to London to master the album. ~ Scalping
On ‘Void’, SCALPING are heavy metal in 4D; the sound is moody, distorted and rhythmic, but the use of electronic techniques gives the finer details room to breathe. Their early lust for “all loudness, no nuance” has cooled, too, making more space for experimentation. Tracks such as “Tether”, featuring Oakland rapper DÆMON, puts a modern, metal twist on Bristolian trip-hop.
Due out 29th April via Houndstooth, the record comes on the heels of an extremely exciting 2021 for the band, which saw them play to sold-out crowds at the Roundhouse twice in two weeks – both on tour with Squarepusher and at Pitchfork Festival London – as well as selling out their own headline date at Peckham Audio, and releasing two widely acclaimed EPs titled “FLOOD” and “FLOOD Remixed”, the latter of which featured treatments from producers Hodge, Azu Tiwaline, object blue, AQXDM and Laurel Halo, and Scottish instrumental rock legends Mogwai.
As SCALPING’s sound becomes more adventurous, so has their aesthetic, the technically impressive animation uses richly coloured and textured sequences to compliment the bands darker narratives: of paranoia and surrender, with cinematic elements of science fiction, body horror and technology’s dominance over man.
The band are due to perform at fabric on May 5th. As live shows return in 2022, SCALPING will continue to prove themselves as one of the UK’s most impressive, ambitious, and original new live bands.
Starting in 2017, the band played live for two years, almost exclusively in Bristol, before releasing any music. Through their time in other bands, they hooked up with promoters they trusted and focused on doing fewer shows with better results. After a couple of years, Nick Berthoud was brought in, on guitar; a “fan first, member second” who was impressed by the developing live show and attuned to their conceptual frustration.
Their curiosity and resourcefulness has paid off. Since forming, SCALPING have performed across the UK and Europe, at festivals such as Glastonbury, Visions, Green Man, Simple Things, Pitchfork Festival and End of the Road, and as support for Black Midi and Squarepusher. Live, the effect is immense. SCALPING play continuously for the duration of their sets, generating a storm of metal-and-techno through a rising beats-per-minute count; starting between 80-90bpm, ticking gradually up to 140bpm – and then, for maximum dynamic impact, dropping to 70bpm and playing in half-time.