Wargasm (stylised in all caps and sometimes known as Wargasm (UK)) are a British electronic rock duo from London. The band formed in 2018 by Sam Matlock, who had previously performed as part of Dead!, and Milkie Way, who had previously photographed their concerts and played bass for Barns Courtney. The band released several standalone singles before making headlines in 2021 over incidents at that year's Heavy Music Awards and after a performance at Scala. Their 2022 mixtape Explicit: The Mixxxtape charted at No. 19 on the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart and appeared on Loudwire's "Best Rock + Metal Debut Albums of 2022", while their 2023 album Venom charted at No. 88 in the UK Albums Chart.
Critics commonly categorise the band's music as electro-punk, nu metal, and riot grrrl. The band, their 2022 Enter Shikari collaboration "The Void Stares Back", Explicit: The Mixxxtape, and Venom have all been nominated for various awards at the Heavy Music Awards. Alternative Press listed them as a defining part of the 2020s wave of nu metal, and NME listed them as one of 2021's essential emerging artists. The pair also took home Best New Noise at the 2022 Kerrang! Awards.
History
2018-2021: Formation and early performances
"When I decided I wanted to do a new project, I knew I wanted it to have a riot grrrl attitude with female vocals and two characters at play, almost like you were getting two sides to a story and a conversation over the music. And that’s exactly what Milkie brought to the party. The idea was for this to be the Keith Flint and Courtney Love collaboration that never was."
Sam Matlock, a guitarist and son of Glen Matlock,[2] met Milkie Way when she was hired to film his band Dead!,[3] whose 2018 album The Golden Age of Not Even Trying[4] had charted at No. 11 on the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart.[5] In 2018,[6] after the band disbanded, Matlock approached Way, who by then had taken a job modelling in Tokyo, and bonded with her over a shared love of nu metal acts such as Limp Bizkit.[7] At first the pair began writing pop punk songs,[7] and recorded an EP in that style called Sadgasm, which they opted not to release.[8] Following an incident at a party in London that both had attended at Way's suggestion, in which Matlock had managed to wake up an unenthusiastic crowd by playing Limp Bizkit and then Linkin Park,[9] the band diversified into a combination of rap and nu metal.[7]
They formed Wargasm in August 2019,[10] taking their name from the L7 song of the same name; the pair used a June 2020 interview to state that the "War" half of their name signified "this kind of angry, visceral red energy" and that the "gasm" half signified "the euphoria that you get when you listen to a song and think [that] this is so fucking hard".[7] Wargasm are listed as "Wargasm (UK)" in several territories due to the existence of other bands from the United States, Finland, Sweden and France.[11] They released their debut single, "Post Modern Rhapsody", in August 2019, before playing their first live performance a few weeks later[12] at a toilet venue.[13] They then released "God of War" that November,[14] which was later used as the theme for NXT UK.[15] In February 2020, they released a cover version of "Lapdance" by N.E.R.D. alongside a music video.[16] Initially a SoundCloud-only release, the track was recorded as an exercise in how to best juggle their vocals[7] after Matlock heard the track at a club, and was the first non-pop punk track they recorded.[8] They then released their own composition, "Gold Gold Gold", later that month.[17]
Shortly before the first UK COVID-19 lockdown, they played a socially distanced show with Death Blooms supporting them.[18] They then flew from London to Way's parents' house to write, where they recorded subsequent singles "Spit", "Rage All Over", and "Backyard Bastards";[19] they released "Spit" in June.[20] Later that month, they performed a set for Download TV, that year's virtual derivative of Download Festival,[21] which they recorded in their kitchen.[22] That September, they played a set for that year's Heavy Music Awards and released "Backyard Bastards",[23] which they released a music video for the following month.[24] The month after that, they released the single "Rage All Over", which they had written about their own rage at the declining condition of the world.[25] At the start of January 2021, NME listed them as one of their essential emerging artists for the following year; Yungblud used the piece to describe Way as "a metal Gwen Stefani".[26]
That April, they released the single "Your Patron Saints", a track about loneliness and isolation they had written after one of the band had a small breakdown in a supermarket,[27] which they followed in June with "Pyro Pyro",[28] which served as the song's B-side.[29] Later that month, they performed at the 2021 Download Festival Pilot,[30] and then the month after that, Alternative Press listed them as a defining part of the 2020s wave of nu metal.[31] In August 2021, they announced their debut UK headline tour, with dates booked between 17 and 30 November 2021,[32] and that they would tour with Creeper the month after.[33] Later that August, they released the single "Salma Hayek",[34] performed at the 2021 Reading and Leeds Festivals[35] and at ALT+LDN festival,[36] and featured on a remix of Death Blooms' single "Shut Up".[37] The following month, they won "Best UK Breakthrough" at the Heavy Music Awards.[38]
2021-2023: Scala incident and Explicit: The Mixxxtape
On 5 November, the band performed at Scala at their Face Down club night. Two days after performing,[39] Matlock uploaded to social media a picture of large red marks he had sustained to his back and arms. In his post, he alleged that three security guards had administered verbal abuse to the band's female tour manager and responded to him challenging it by dragging him into a toilet, bashing his head against a toilet seat, and holding his head in a toilet bowl.[40] He also stated that he only escaped after another member of his touring party intervened,[41] that they had been attempting to contact the venue over the weekend regarding the matter, and that said bouncers' continued employment meant that they did not consider the club a safe venue, especially for women. The Security Industry Authority confirmed that they had received a complaint.[40] After investigating, Scala fired two of the bouncers involved,[42] with Wargasm later posting to social media that the third had also been fired.[43] A week and a half after the incident, the venue set out a number of planned security measures for its subsequent performances.[44]
Later in November, the band released "Scratchcard Feeling", a track about continuing to feel lucky despite continued losses.[45] The band then supported Neck Deep on a UK tour in early 2022.[46] The following month, Rolling Stone reported that Wargasm would be joining Limp Bizkit on their North American "Still Sucks" tour.[47] That May, Matlock and Way announced that they had signed to Slowplay and Republic Records, and would release a single, "D.R.I.L.D.O.", and a mixtape, Explicit: The Mixxxtape.[48] The mixtape was named Explicit due to the presence of swearing and sexual lyrics,[49] and the single "D.R.I.L.D.O." was released later that month.[50] The month after, they performed at that year's Download Festival,[51] at which they were the only band to play the main stage to not be all-male.[52] They then won the New Noise Awards at that year's Kerrang! Awards.[53]
In July, they released "Fukstar", a rant against the behaviour of high-net-worth individuals,[54] and then the month after that, they featured on Enter Shikari's "The Void Stares Back",[55] which won Best Single at the 2023 Heavy Music Awards.[56] They released Explicit in September 2022,[57] which included previous singles "Pyro Pyro", "Salma Hayek", "D.R.I.L.D.O" and "Fukstar" and focus track "Super Fiend".[58] The mixtape was nominated for Best Breakthrough Album at the 2023 Heavy Music Awards,[56] appeared on Loudwire's "Best Rock + Metal Debut Albums of 2022",[59] and charted at No. 19 on the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart.[60] They promoted Explicit by going on the Explicit Tour,[61] which featured dates in Manchester, Glasgow, Nottingham, and at O2 Forum Kentish Town.[62] At the end of that year, they toured with Enter Shikari and Limp Bizkit.[63] That December, they released a new video for "Super Fiend" featuring tour footage,[64] followed by a cover of the Girls Aloud song "Something Kinda Ooooh" for Amazon Music.[65] In May 2023, it was announced that Wargasm would support Corey Taylor on his 2023 CMF2 tour between August and October.[66]
In July 2023, they announced the album Venom and released the single "Do It So Good".[67] The album took sixteen months to make, with the band using a December 2023 Kerrang! interview to blame the discontinuous manner in which it was produced and "labels and distributors, and all these people who don’t seem to be able to do their fucking job anymore".[13] Many of the tracks pre-dated Explicit due to the band working on both concurrently.[68] In September, they released "Bang Ya Head", which was written about Matlock's experience of struggling to live on a bar salary.[69] Both it and Venom's introduction featured Fred Durst as a result of the band direct messaging him.[13] They released "Modern Love" in October, a track about technology-induced loneliness,[70] which was followed a few days later by a video[71] and followed by a few days after that by "Molotov", an album track on Ho99o9's mixtape Ho99o9 presents Territory: Turf Talk, Vol. II.[72] Later that month, they released Venom,[2] which charted at No. 88 in the UK Albums Chart[60] and was nominated for Best Breakthrough Album at the 2024 Heavy Music Awards.[73]
In May 2024, the band featured on Crossfaith's "God Speed", an ode to hedonism,[74] followed by "Hedonist (Recharged)", an album track from Concrete Jungle [The OST], an expansion pack to Bad Omens' The Death of Peace of Mind.[75] The following month, they appeared on Scene Queen's "Girls Gone Wild", a track about misogynistic double standards from her album Hot Singles in Your Area,[76] and then the month after that, the band released "70% Dead", a collaboration with Corey Taylor which had been recorded while the band were on tour with him.[63]
Artistry
Matlock got into guitar music after listening to Nirvana, while Way got into guitar music via the Smashing Pumpkins and Bikini Kill.[77] In a January 2020 interview with Crowdsurf & Turf, Way noted that the band's style and visuals were "very influenced by dystopian pop culture monoliths like Bladerunner and Akira, [...] old shitty cock rock bands, and punk icons like Joan Jett and Iggy Pop". Matlock used the same interview to note that the band took "huge" sonic influence "from the 00s and a bunch of metal bands", as well as their own punk attitudes, conversations they overheard, and their own personal opinions.[78] The following month, the band used an interview with Kerrang! to cite the use of nu-metal tropes by Loathe, Shvpes and Poppy as inspirational,[79] and that August, they cited L7 as an inspiration in an interview with Upset.[7] When asked in an early 2021 interview with Fred Perry what songs' lyrics inspired them, Matlock answered "Custer" by Slipknot and Way answered "Smack a Bitch - Remix" by Rico Nasty.[80] For "Pyro Pyro", they were inspired by a scene in a documentary about Grimes which asserted that she used laser shots from video games and gunshots to construct her music,[28] and for "Salma Hayek", its chorus was inspired by Kim Petras[34] and its video was inspired by Quentin Tarantino.[81]
In June 2020, Revolver described the band's works as "a particularly now mash-up of nu-metal, punk, electronic music, pop, hip-hop and anything else they damn please" [sic],[82] and in September 2020, that publication's Emma Madden described the band's sound as "beefcake nu-metal [...] spike[d] with more lighthearted pop and electronic elements [and] a riot grrrl ethos and charge".[9] The following month, Metal Hammer writer Yasmine Summan described their works as "nihilistic nu metal with electro-punk attitude",[22] and then in December 2020, that publication's Matt Mills described the band as nu-metal and "in-your-face riot grrrl punk".[83] In January 2021, Alternative Press writer Giedrė Matulaitytė described their music as an "eclectic blend of punk/riot grrrl attitude, hardcore energy, grunge pessimism and murky nü-metal groove" best enjoyed while "sipping on some rich blood"[84] and Jack Saunders described them as post-hardcore and a combination of the Prodigy and Slipknot.[18] In October 2023, Gregory Adams of Revolver described their "musical bedrock" as "hard-blitzed house beats and nu-metal swagger".[6]
Reviewing their Download Pilot set, Clash observed "screaming vocals, stadium beats and psychedelic electronic sounds that merge with a punk attitude and a guitar grounding"[85] and NME writer Ali Shutler described what he saw as "cyberpunk".[86] The latter publication's Kyann-Sian Williams wrote of their performance at ALT+LDN that the pair "infuse the raw grit of screamo with Way’s punk vocals".[87] Jack Rogers of Rock Sound wrote that "Pyro Pyro" "combusts with blasts of distorted bass and harsh guitars",[29] while Olivia Stock of Riot described "Salma Hayek" as a combination of "metal, punk, rap, dubstep, and pop".[88] Reviewing a 2022 Neck Deep support slot for Louder Than War, Daniel Tsourekas complimented the contrast between Matlock's "gritty" vocals and Way's "softer yet punk-infused" vocals.[46] James Christopher Monger of AllMusic wrote that the "electro-punk duo" evoked "Poppy by way of Limp Bizkit" with their "kinetic blend of nu-metal, industrial rock, post-hardcore, EDM, and hip-hop".[89] In October 2023, Dannii Leivers of Metal Hammer described their post-pop punk works as "a frenetic, kaleidoscopic clash of digital hardcore and electronica with the hooks, heaviness and attitude of nu metal" and the band as "looking like the Wikipedia definition of modern rock stars".[90]
^"Wargasm - A Year of War Vinyl". Venn Records. Archived from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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