Scott Helland, who was the co-founder and bassist of the legendary 80s Hardcore Punk band Deep Wound with J Mascis and Lou Barlow (Dinosaur jr) and current guitarist of Post-Punk duo Frenchy And The Punk, releases his third solo Surf Spy album, ’Silver Screen Spy Scene’ in November 2025.
Driving reverb-soaked guitars and twangy riffs blend seamlessly with dark bass grooves and drums creating a tension-filled ambiance that listeners have come to expect from Helland. The spy themes in titles such as ‘Espionage in Black Camouflage’, ‘Overt to Covert in the Coven of Spies’ and ‘Western Spies Surf at Dawn’ serve as prompts for the storyline that the music evokes creating an imaginary movie in the listener’s mind. Helland, who goes under the moniker Guitarmy of One, says, “I have always loved the sound of surf guitar but it’s always been a part of my musical evolution to push the boundaries of what has come before so my version of Surf is through my particular filter of influences.”
He has a decidedly different approach to surf guitar in the live setting where, with his Fender Acoustasonic Jazzmaster, he pivots from the guitar’s built-in acoustic/electric features and adorns and grounds the sound with loop pedals and electronic percussion. On the albums he records more like a traditional band performing the bass, guitars and percussion separately. His intricate arrangements based around driving bass lines borrow from post-punk, metal, funk and classic surf rock. The sound is akin to a progressive punk and surf guitar mash up.
Hailing from a background rooted in the rebellious energy of punk rock and thrash metal, Helland got his start playing bass guitar in the hardcore punk scene in the 80s and 90s with not only the band Deep Wound but also with East Coast hardcore and crossover thrash stalwarts Outpatients, School of Violence and Darkside NYC. He went solo in the mid nineties releasing numerous eclectic instrumental albums and then in 2005 formed the Post-Punk/Dark Alternative duo Frenchy and the Punk with French born singer Samantha Stephenson with whom he still tours. With Guitarmy of One, Helland channels that raw and unconventional spirit into a unique fusion of genres.
The new album ’Silver Screen Spy Scene’ is available worldwide on most streaming platforms with physical copies available on Bandcamp (and downloads) and the store site Batfrogs.com.
Silver Screen Spy Scene is the follow up to the 2023 The Wave Files and The Spy Detective Collective in 2021.
Reviews:
"Scott Helland's Guitarmy of One will strike a chord with those schooled in '60s-era surf rock and Henry Mancini themes."
PopMatters
"Helland adds colorful, complementing guitar lines that hint at flamenco almost as often as they do at Ventures-style surf-rock."
PopMatters
“an accomplished ex-punk who has made the striking transition to atmospheric soundtracks,”
The Big Takeover
"This is a joy-filled and oddly flirtatious little record from start to finish. Helland has tapped something interesting and, dare we say, magical on The Spy Detective Collective."
PopMatters
"[Scott Helland] never fails to surprise with his continuous evolution as an artist."
Ghost Cult Music Blog
"Helland’s prolific songwriting has yielded him over 30 records since the ‘80s, ever since that fateful flyer fell into the hands of lo-fi heroes, J Mascis and Lou Barlow."
Grateful Web
"Dick Dale meets Keller Williams." "Outlandish, playful and mysterious... like the soundtrack to an old detective television show."
Alt77 Music Blog
"Fans like this writer, of Spy and 60s detective movie and TV show themes have itches deeply scratched here, along with components of surf (occasional echoey fret runs) and strong Spanish flamenco stylings and intricate blues-folk patterns that Django Reinhardt might admire."
The Big Takeover Magazine