The very first track The Scarlet Hour wrote was Skyline way back in 2017. It was during the early formation of The Seventh Victim, the predecessor to The Scarlet Hour, that Skyline was created. So where do you start writing your very first song?

Song Writing And Structure

“It was a learning curve.” reveals bassist Mel, “Not a steep one as I thrive on creativity. I was getting to grips with the newly acquired Arturia drum machine, developing the beat style that carved out our distinct sound. “

Taking inspiration from bands renowned for their electronic drum sound – The Scarlet Hour hold dear to their hearts – The Sisters Of Mercy, late 1980’s / early 1990’s Depeche Mode and Cabaret Voltaire.

“The overall drum sound I wanted was a crisp, cold and industrial sound to reflect the repetitive pounding of machinery in a factory or drone-like culture working for a corporate company. “

“Once the drum structure was complete, I worked on the bass line. I kept it simple to complement the drums in the track – adding a touch of reverb and sprinkle of distortion.”

“Mel’s brilliant at constructing a sonic image that inspires me immediately” Tim follows up. “As soon as I heard the tune to Skyline I could see a vicious city that rewards only the coldest mercenary killers.”

The band used the concluding monologue from the 2000 film “American Psycho” as walk-on music for a time, which then went straight into Skyline as the first song of the set. The connection between the psychological horror of the film and the soulless violence of Skyline’s lyrics is well established.

The songwriting process of Skyline, Mel composing the song and then Tim writing the lyrics is a process that still stands today.

“It’s a process that works for us and compliments our strengths as a songwriting partnership,” Mel explains, “I can’t write lyrics. I have tried. They just sound childish and non-coherent.”

Same Song, Different Guitarist

Once the song structure was in place and lyrics were penned, The Seventh Victim’s original guitarist Shona added a sparse and spikey yet melodic guitar riff.

“Shona’s guitar sound gave the song a very post-punk, almost Joy Division-like quality,” Mel adds, “I often wonder what direction The Seventh Victim would have gone in if we progressed with this particular sound.”

The guitar riff changed when Mike joined. Mel and Tim never played Shona’s rendition to Mike as they wanted him to add his own guitar signature sound which was a massive wall of guitar wails from Mike’s Gretsch, giving Skyline a more beefier and fuller sound.

And Then There Were Two

The sound of Skyline changed again after The Seventh Victim disbanded in 2021 and Tim and Mel formed The Scarlet Hour.

“We had a bunch of tracks including Skyline that we were proud of and felt they needed to be heard more. Without a guitarist, I needed to find a sound to replace the guitar riffs. The Scarlet Hour’s sound is more synth-based and I found it a challenge to find the right synth sound to replace guitar riffs. It is easier to write a song with a synth sound in mind but not the other way round. I eventually found a soft arpeggiator sound along with swooping strings that wouldn’t make the bassline sound muddy. I think it works,” Mel concludes.

Skyline is on Warnings album, available to buy on vinyl and CD HERE and most digital streaming services.