New chapters are scary but equally exciting; they take you to new paths and bring you to destinations you’d never thought you’d reach. It’s exhilarating but also a lot of work. Just ask SCALLER.
The Indonesian alternative duo is embarking on a new adventure as they find a home at their first-ever label Archangel Records, marking the beginning of the next phase of their music careers—one that they relentlessly worked hard for.
“It's always been independent for us, we do everything ourselves. We had connections and a small team that helped us along the way but for the most part, it was just the two of us, So, the fact that we now have an entire team that we can trust is very relieving. It’s so exciting,” they tell Bandwagon.
Stella and Reney, who make up SCALLER, have been independent musicians since their bar-hopping gig days back in 2009. Born out of their mutual love for rock music, the pair got their “10,000 hours of music practice” covering The Beatles and Oasis at local bars and cafés around Jakarta.
That went on for three years until they realised it was time to step out of the shadows of the great bands they cover and follow in their footsteps with their own music.
“We got bored and had this existential crisis as musicians, thinking about where we were going after this because we were very young at that time and just finishing high school. We had three years of playing bars and we just sort of thought, ‘yeah, it's enough’,” said Reney.
They then gathered the money they got playing gigs and spent it on workshops and equipment to help them create their very first EP, 1991 and from there, SCALLER was born.
Influenced by Radiohead, SCALLER make music that builds up a wall of tension and fire only for them to crash through it like the rockstars they are.
“Our music is alternative post-rock with progressive elements. We like introducing elements that are very progressively, that start and then builds up. The key elements of the songs have been time signature changes and rhythmical stuff that we are very inspired from,” explains Reney.
“Basically, we do rock music,” laughs Stella, finishing off Reney’s thought.
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For most of our Zoom conversation, that was the pair’s dynamic – taking turns to answer and often picking up where the other left off. Their over decade long partnership was evident, even outside of their songs.
SCALLER is, of course, extra special in that they were meant to be together, both in and outside of music. Stella and Reney, who got married in 2017, call it fate and a privilege because what they have not only rarely works but rarely ever happens.
“This is a gift to us,” says Reney.
“We don't have to fight through this alone,” adds Stella.
Their bond and their unreachable level of understanding for one another bleeds into a lot of aspects of their music, be it their sound which is a harmonious blend of varied influences or their creative process that flows so naturally.
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As an ode to the musicians they were and will always be and as a kickoff for their exciting adventure ahead, SCALLER recently released their latest single ‘Music All We Have’. Dedicated to music itself, the track comes as a preview of their upcoming album that’s slated for release this September.
“We devoted a lot of our time and effort and energy to music so we started to realise that music was and is still an essential part of our reason of being. At the end of time, music is the only thing we’ll have,” shares Stella.
“We got through all the struggles that we had through music. It's kind of like our way to say grace to music,” adds Reney.
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Not wanting to spill all the details of their upcoming album just yet, Stella teases how the record captures a lot of the raw energy and spark that happens in their recording process.
“We just don't want to overdo things. The immediacy and the raw spirit from the recording room are something we wanted to capture in the album. It’s not going to sound completely similar to ‘Music All We Have’, it’s the right step to describe the album but definitely not in its entirety,” she says.
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The album, which SCALLER says carries a lot of surprises for their fans, will officially kickstart the new chapter of the band. Serving as their launchpad for what’s to come, the pair shares that there’s a lot on more in store for the coming months, including their return to the live stage which they so dearly miss.
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But even though they journey on a new path to further growing and evolving their music, the excitement from their early days still linger on. Even with over a decade behind them, SCALLER still have a lot to look forward and this is just the beginning.
“It's never been boring here. It's really challenging in terms of our musical journey because we don't think that music has a specific formula, you know. We just keep exploring what's inside the music, where it comes from. We’re still learning how to work on our music and how to respond to music itself,” says Stella,
“Music is a spiritual thing and that resonates with us and the people we work with. Even our band’s creative process is the same — we just go to our studio with nothing in mind, no draft, no idea, nothing. But then something comes up and we immediately start moving; that process is so magical. It’s never boring and that’s exciting. It’s always a journey for us and we’ve always been excited and we’ll always be excited,” says Reney.
Listen to SCALLER's 'Music All We Have' here.
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