L to R: Tom, Danny, Skarlett, Luke
METAL PULP AND PAPER: Hi Skarlett, so glad to finally catch up with you. Thank you for taking the time to get together with us here at Metal Pulp And Paper. We appreciate it.
Before we get into the meat and potatoes of the interview and find out what’s been going on in the Skarlett Riot camp, can you first tell the Metal Pulp readers a little bit about you and your band? Shed some light on where you’re from, what kind of genre the band is, and what the new listeners can expect when they hear your music for the very first time?
SKARLETT: Hey guys, well SR are a rock & metal, 4-piece female fronted band from north Lincolnshire UK. Expect catchy choruses with metal riffs!
MPAP: Now let’s dig in and get down to what a lot of your fans have been waiting for, more new music from you. Skarlett Riot has new EP out called Sentience? What can you tell us about it?
SKARLETT: Sentience is a 5-track powerful EP about ' the ability to feel '. This is a taster and introduction of what's to come next with us.
MPAP: Sentience has five killer songs on it, and has already been getting some great reviews for it?
SKARLETT: Yeah the reviews have been awesome. Kerrang, BBC, Metal Hammer, Scuzz etc have loved it so far along with many other webzines & most importantly the fans seem to dig it too! The EP is a lot heavier than previous music we've released so it's been interesting to see the response, luckily, it's all been very positive.
MPAP: How long did it take you from start to finish to make Sentience?
SKARLETT: Well we wrote a good 10-15 tracks and picked the best 5 to go on the EP, I'd say we spent around 9 months working on it including recording and getting the final product.
MPAP: Did you write all the lyrics, or was it a group collaboration with the other members as well?
SKARLETT: I write all my own lyrics, occasionally I’ll get inspiration from my dad & Dan, they both help tweak the final touches when needed!
MPAP: Are you constantly writing music? Do you scribble something onto a napkin, or record something on your cell phone? Or do you just wait until it’s time to go into the studio and write something?
SKARLETT: We are constantly writing at the minute, it's all a working progress, I start with a melody on my phone, or Dan will start with a guitar riff and we develop from there. We take everything into the studio pretty much finished ready to record down.
MPAP: Some other big news recently to report, Skarlett Riot signs a worldwide deal with Despotz Records? How cool is that? What can Despotz Records be able to bring to the table now that you have signed with them? How soon until you get back in the studio to record something for them?
SKARLETT: Yeah! This is our first deal so pretty big for us. They're going to release our 2nd album worldwide through their distro companies, this will help us push our music further around the world. The label have been very passionate about our previous music, so we can't wait to release this through them. We go back to record in May.
MPAP: Sentience, was there a special message behind the title that you wanted? Was there something you were trying to get across to your fans?
SKARLETT: Yeah I wrote a couple of songs about people following the crowd, only liking music that's ' in ' at the time. Not thinking for themselves, music being a fashion trend.
MPAP: Over the years, how would you say you’ve musically grown since your first release Villain came out in 2012?
SKARLETT: Our song writing in general has improved. I'd say, lyrically I have more ideas, and musically we've all developed since 2012. Our songs are a lot more interesting and complex now.
MPAP: Is there anything you’ve learned now that you wish you could go back and do different?
SKARLETT: Definitely make sure you have some good songs written before you go out and gig, get them recorded. It definitely helps the process of trying to secure shows and interest in the band.
MPAP: Has anything changed since the ideas began by starting this band? Like your vocal style, lyrical content, or just how you approach writing new material?
SKARLETT: I'd say we've matured a lot as a band now so with that my lyrics have become more interesting, I've become more daring with my vocal ranges in the songs too.
MPAP: With the new release out, are you ready to go and hit the road and tour?
SKARLETT: We will be doing a few festivals over the summer in the UK, and back out on tour to support the album later this year. For now we are concentrating on writing this album.
MPAP: Will you able to tour in The United States anytime soon? There have been many articles written about why a lot of bands won't cross the US borders, or fly overseas to other countries because it's so expensive. Does this discourage you from playing your music live in other countries in the future?
SKARLETT: We'd love to tour the US, we've unfortunately not had the support funding to do so, we'd love to in the future, and with label support and a new management team in place, I don't see why this can't be possible in the future.
MPAP: Once again, thank you Skarlett for taking the time to speak with us here at Metal Pulp And Paper. Look forward to what Skarlett Riot does next and for the rest of 2017 and beyond.
Before we get into the meat and potatoes of the interview and find out what’s been going on in the Skarlett Riot camp, can you first tell the Metal Pulp readers a little bit about you and your band? Shed some light on where you’re from, what kind of genre the band is, and what the new listeners can expect when they hear your music for the very first time?
SKARLETT: Hey guys, well SR are a rock & metal, 4-piece female fronted band from north Lincolnshire UK. Expect catchy choruses with metal riffs!
MPAP: Now let’s dig in and get down to what a lot of your fans have been waiting for, more new music from you. Skarlett Riot has new EP out called Sentience? What can you tell us about it?
SKARLETT: Sentience is a 5-track powerful EP about ' the ability to feel '. This is a taster and introduction of what's to come next with us.
MPAP: Sentience has five killer songs on it, and has already been getting some great reviews for it?
SKARLETT: Yeah the reviews have been awesome. Kerrang, BBC, Metal Hammer, Scuzz etc have loved it so far along with many other webzines & most importantly the fans seem to dig it too! The EP is a lot heavier than previous music we've released so it's been interesting to see the response, luckily, it's all been very positive.
MPAP: How long did it take you from start to finish to make Sentience?
SKARLETT: Well we wrote a good 10-15 tracks and picked the best 5 to go on the EP, I'd say we spent around 9 months working on it including recording and getting the final product.
MPAP: Did you write all the lyrics, or was it a group collaboration with the other members as well?
SKARLETT: I write all my own lyrics, occasionally I’ll get inspiration from my dad & Dan, they both help tweak the final touches when needed!
MPAP: Are you constantly writing music? Do you scribble something onto a napkin, or record something on your cell phone? Or do you just wait until it’s time to go into the studio and write something?
SKARLETT: We are constantly writing at the minute, it's all a working progress, I start with a melody on my phone, or Dan will start with a guitar riff and we develop from there. We take everything into the studio pretty much finished ready to record down.
MPAP: Some other big news recently to report, Skarlett Riot signs a worldwide deal with Despotz Records? How cool is that? What can Despotz Records be able to bring to the table now that you have signed with them? How soon until you get back in the studio to record something for them?
SKARLETT: Yeah! This is our first deal so pretty big for us. They're going to release our 2nd album worldwide through their distro companies, this will help us push our music further around the world. The label have been very passionate about our previous music, so we can't wait to release this through them. We go back to record in May.
MPAP: Sentience, was there a special message behind the title that you wanted? Was there something you were trying to get across to your fans?
SKARLETT: Yeah I wrote a couple of songs about people following the crowd, only liking music that's ' in ' at the time. Not thinking for themselves, music being a fashion trend.
MPAP: Over the years, how would you say you’ve musically grown since your first release Villain came out in 2012?
SKARLETT: Our song writing in general has improved. I'd say, lyrically I have more ideas, and musically we've all developed since 2012. Our songs are a lot more interesting and complex now.
MPAP: Is there anything you’ve learned now that you wish you could go back and do different?
SKARLETT: Definitely make sure you have some good songs written before you go out and gig, get them recorded. It definitely helps the process of trying to secure shows and interest in the band.
MPAP: Has anything changed since the ideas began by starting this band? Like your vocal style, lyrical content, or just how you approach writing new material?
SKARLETT: I'd say we've matured a lot as a band now so with that my lyrics have become more interesting, I've become more daring with my vocal ranges in the songs too.
MPAP: With the new release out, are you ready to go and hit the road and tour?
SKARLETT: We will be doing a few festivals over the summer in the UK, and back out on tour to support the album later this year. For now we are concentrating on writing this album.
MPAP: Will you able to tour in The United States anytime soon? There have been many articles written about why a lot of bands won't cross the US borders, or fly overseas to other countries because it's so expensive. Does this discourage you from playing your music live in other countries in the future?
SKARLETT: We'd love to tour the US, we've unfortunately not had the support funding to do so, we'd love to in the future, and with label support and a new management team in place, I don't see why this can't be possible in the future.
MPAP: Once again, thank you Skarlett for taking the time to speak with us here at Metal Pulp And Paper. Look forward to what Skarlett Riot does next and for the rest of 2017 and beyond.
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