The Scream  by Siouxsie & The Banshees

The album The Scream from 1978 is the iconic debut of Siouxsie and the Banshees, which redefined the sound of the British scene. It is considered a cornerstone of post-punk. It introduced elements that would later characterize gothic rock and alternative rock.

The innovation of the songs on The Scream is that the music is based on a "bass-centric" rhythm with the drums primarily using the tom-toms (tribal style), while the guitar functions more as a source of texture and atonal sounds rather than as a traditional rhythmic instrument. The production was done by Steve Lillywhite in collaboration with the band. The recording took place at RAK Studios in London in August 1978 and the mixing at De Lane Lea Studios. The cover depicts an underwater shot of swimmers in a pool, conveying a sense of suffocation and otherworldly calm that fits the style of the album. The idea for the design belonged to the band itself.

The album reached No.12 in the United Kingdom and remained on the British charts for eleven weeks. It managed to go silver by selling over 60,000 copies.