Who Shot Scott Shares New Garage Track ‘Peaked In High School’
Who Shot Scott reasserts his presence as a genre-blurring hip-hop artist and producer on Peaked In High School – a high-octane, UKG-laced cut that signals a pivotal turning point in his forthcoming debut album Hairy.
Driven by blasting garage-inspired rhythms, heavy synth work and flashes of lush guitar reminiscent of late 90’s UK R&B, the track captures a new sense of authority from the artist. Where previous material sat in insecurity, Peaked In High School flips the lens – reclaiming formative experiences and reframing them as a source of power.
About the track, Who Shot Scott shares:
“To me, this track is a sincere empowerment song beneath all the frantic energy. Growing up, the thing I was bullied for most was wanting to make music. Kids would stand outside my house blasting my early tracks on speakers for the whole neighbourhood to hear, laughing at me. There were parts of school I couldn’t walk through without facing intense ridicule. All these years later, art and music is still my life, and I am still just as in love with it as I’ve ever been (if not more). In a strange way, I’m grateful to those early experiences – they built silience in me that I’ve come to appreciate deeply. Every slight, every moment of embarrassment… I’ve repurposed it into something powerful. The final line, “The subject I’ve become is a result of all of you,” really couldn’t be more true.”
Midway through, Peaked In High School shifts gears – introducing melodic guitar lines and smoother, garage-inflected textures that nod to early 2000’s UK influences, adding a dynamic sense of movement that mirrors the track’s emotional arc.
The single arrives alongside a music video directed by long-time collaborator Connor Pritchard. Stripping back modern polish in favour of a gritty, 90’s-inspired aesthetic, the visual sees Who Shot Scott performing into a handheld camcorder, his image refracted through the static of an old television set – a fitting extension of the track’s themes of self-reflection and reclamation.
With Hairy set for release on June 5th, 2026, Peaked In High School joins previously released singles Problems In My Head, Fast Car and Bad Girls – as well as LFTBU and French Fever – as part of the wider vision shaping Who Shot Scott’s long-awaited debut album. Built on the scars of adolescence and the transformation of that pain into power, Hairy is loud, unfiltered and impossible to box in – a record that thrives in extremes, unafraid to make the listener feel, laugh and groove in equal measure.
For Who Shot Scott, the project stands as both a reclamation and a debut statement. Following two APRA Silver Scroll nominations, a Japan tour, and a feature placement in the global trailer for Borderlands 4, he continues to resist any “music industry optimised” version of himself. Instead, Hairy leans into raw edges and contradiction – a specificity that ultimately becomes universally resonant. Bold, unashamed, and increasingly undeniable, it cements Who Shot Scott as one of the most fearless voices emerging out of Aotearoa right now. If Peaked In High School is any indication, he’s not just revisiting the past, he’s rewriting it entirely on his own terms.
Alongside a UK tour in May and showcase appearances at The Great Escape 2026 and NXNE Toronto 2026, his trajectory continues to accelerate. The speedometer is climbing, and he just might win the race this time.
Photo Credit: Conor Pritchard
