(Exclusive Interview) Scratchcardinc: “It’s an outlet, physically and mentally, for us and hopefully for our fans as well.”

Up-and-coming groups are always a delight to talk to – raw, full of dreams, and not to mention eager. Having only been together a short time, Scratchcard Inc are exactly that. They’ve released two singles, “Agony” and “Side Effect”. Their third “Flatline” is set for release on Halloween, the perfect treat to round off the month. The California Eric, London, and Jack may be somewhat new in the game, but with the amount of experience playing music throughout their lives, Scratchcard Inc is a project fresh and ready to get everyone's attention.

Describing music as an outlet for tough times and emotions, they set out to share that with fans and once again the power of music joining people together. We spoke with the band about their upcoming new single, their goals, favourite albums growing up, and looking towards 2026!

SpinVybe: You’ve got an upcoming release on October 31st, “Flatline”. The sneak peek on social media has everyone wanting more. What can you tell us about the track and what inspired it?

Scratchcard: Lyrically, the song is an inversion of a love song. It’s about when you know something is going to end, and you don’t want it to stop, but you know there’s nothing you can do about it. Musically, Eric showed up one day with that big opening riff, and we built the rest of the song around that. The chorus modulates to the relative major, which makes it feel uplifting for just a moment before slamming it back down with another minor riff right after. 

SV: In September, you released your second single, “Sideline”. What do release days feel like for you? Do you take a moment to soak it in, or do you like diving straight into conversations with fans and the community?

SC: We have one speed on release day: go. We’ve been working on these songs for so long that we’re just really excited to finally be sharing them with the world. We love to see fan responses to the music once they finally get the full song.

SV: From your debut to now, you’ve achieved so much in such a short time. What’s something you’ve learnt along the way that genuinely surprised you?

SC: We still feel like we’re really early on in our journey! We all have a good amount of experience playing music, but Scratchcard is still a very new project. We’re super excited to see what comes next for us and how people will respond to the new music.

SV: The three of you have a really mature sound, but with a nostalgic edge that nods to everything from pop-punk to emo. What do you think contributes to that blend?

SC: Our sound is definitely a combination of all of our influences. We all like different music that falls into the same general bucket, so we’re able to pull from different eras and parts of culture and then combine it in a way that tries to keep a consistent sound.

SV: Growing up, who were your early musical influences? Were there any artists you connected with or saw yourself in?

SC: Blink-182, Blur, Oasis, Ramones, Paramore

SV: Following that, was there a specific album or song that made you decide, 'This is the career path I want to follow,' that inspired you to become musicians?

Eric: Blink-182 - Self-titled

London: Motörhead - Overkill

Jack: Black Sabbath - Master of Reality

SV: What do you hope not only you but also listeners get out of your music that is different from what you've grown up listening to?

SC: It’s an outlet, physically and mentally, for us and hopefully for our fans as well. We all go through tough times and tough emotions as part of the human experience, and we see our music as a way to help understand those and deal with them.

SV: When you write and record, what is the process? Do each of you bring your ideas, and then you put them all together, or is it just a creative impulse?

SC: Yes, most of our songs start with ideas one of us brings in. We’ll develop a simple idea in the room together until it starts sounding like a song. We’ll usually bounce a tonne of ideas and scrap most of them until we find something that sticks. As for recording, we record it all in Jack’s garage in LA; it’s very DIY, but we make sure everything is done as professionally as is possible with the resources we have. 

SV: For you, what makes a song “complete”? How do you know when to stop tweaking?

SC: We never know. We like to keep tweaking it right up until the day before we upload it, and even after then sometimes we’ll think of ideas that we need to go in and change. Sometimes after a release we’ll think of a cool idea to change for the live set. We like to think of the songs as an evolving piece of work rather than something static. We definitely stand by our recordings as well; the tracks are killer. Just know that they’re more of a snapshot of the song in time rather than a super polished masterpiece. 

SV: In a fast-paced world where it feels music has to be instantly catchy on socials, how do you try to steer clear of that? Do you have a formula on how to stay true to yourself without losing it to trends?

SC: To be honest, we don’t really care how our music sounds on socials. The music comes first, and we worry about how we’re going to market it later. We just write the kind of stuff we like to hear. It can be tough working backwards in that sense in some cases, but when it works and something connects, it’s way more rewarding. 

SV: Looking back, what’s one moment early on you knew this was going to be more than just a hobby?

SC: We’ve all wanted to do this since day 1. It wasn't much of a decision for any of us; this has always been our dream. 

SV: There are many festivals and venues musicians all wish to play. For you, what is the ultimate bucket list show, and why?

SC: We’d love to headline the Palladium in Hollywood one day. We’ve seen tonnes of our favourite artists play there, including Turnstile and The Story So Far, so it would be incredible to join them in the list of artists that have played there. 

SV: Have you all set mini milestones and goals, or are you planning to go with the flow and not put too much pressure on it? 

SC: No pressure.

SV: And finally, what does the rest of the year have in store for you all?

SC: Not too much planned for this year after Flatline comes out. We might do some shows in December, but the main focus will be pushing the songs we have out and getting everything ready for a big 2026.

Follow ScratchCard Inc:

Instagram| YouTube | Spotify |TikTok |Apple Music |Official site |Flatline Smartlink

Written and Interviewed by Kirsty Bright

#Scratchcardinc #newmusic #interview #debut