Steep Stims is a studio album by British electronic musician Clark, released on 7 November 2025 on Throttle Records. Recorded primarily using an Access Virus synthesizer as a deliberate creative constraint, the album marks a return to purely instrumental electronic music following the vocal-driven Sus Dog (2023). Steep Stims received generally positive reviews from music critics.
Clark discovered the Access Virus synthesizer at MESS (Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio), a facility run by Robin Fox. The first patch he played on the instrument became "Blowtorch Thimble". Roughly 80âÂÂ90% of the album was made using the Virus and a drum machine as a self-imposed limitation. Clark described the album as sitting alongside his self-titled Clark (2014) and Death Peak (2017) in palette and tone. "18EDO Bailiff" features a piano tuned to 18 equal divisions of the octave by microtonal specialist Angus Donald.
"Blowtorch Thimble" was released as the lead single on 3 September 2025, alongside the album announcement. "Civilians" followed on 30 September 2025; a music video directed and choreographed by Melanie Lane and Corps Conspirators was premiered on 1 October 2025.
Heather Phares of AllMusic called it "as sophisticated in its execution as his more overtly ambitious projects". Inverted Audio described it as "rich in feeling" and praised its blend of trance, IDM and dancefloor energy.
The album received coverage in the French press, including reviews in Les Inrockuptibles and Le Monde. Tsugi reviewed the album favourably, and Radio Micheline named it their Album of the Week.
Credits adapted from liner notes.