2015 was a huge year for Melbourne indie-pop sextet Alpine, with the band releasing their second album Yuck to critical acclaim, playing sold out dates around the country and touring America.
Fresh off the back of appearing at Falls Festival, the band took some time to sit down with us and discuss the influence of Bowie, how the band has developed as songwriters and who they will be seeing at Mountain Sounds Festival.
What have you been up to this week?
I’ve been getting a costume jumpsuit made, a new one because I get sick of wearing the same ones. It’ll be ready for festivals like Mountain Sounds which is pretty exciting. It’s really fun because I get to go to fabric shops and get the fabric first. Phoebe is really good at helping me with design ideas, and with Bowie passing, his influence was part of the Ziggy Stardust phase, wearing costumes and getting to be your alter ego onstage. So it’s nice just to mix it up and try different styles because you get to embody the outfit when you’re performing. You feel a bit superhuman. I couldn’t just wear jeans and a t-shirt. For Phoebe and I, the outfits are so part of Alpine and the performance.
With Bowie passing, how did it effect you guys from a musicians point of view?
I was camping and then a friend told me, and I thought it had to be a hoax. I couldn’t believe that he had died, and I think that is what hit a lot of people. I know a lot of musicians and other big iconic individuals pass away and it’s really sad, but I think it kind of struck everyone because Bowie didn’t seem human – he seemed super human. He’s just supposed to live forever, and because he did have such an impact of culture and society, it feels strange that he’s not around anymore. In saying that, the beautiful thing about creating art and being an artist is that if you pass, your art will be there forever. So he hasn’t really gone anywhere. He will continue to influence and inspire. For Alpine, we have always been inspired by the idea of glam, and musicians who create things because they want to, not because they feel they have to fit into a certain style. You think of bands like Bjork or Arcade Fire, and I don’t think they have done heaps on mainstream radio in Australia, but they are still highly successful because their art is incredible, and it’s respected and has connected with a lot of people. I don’t think Bowie wrote to be successful. He was an observer of society and used rock and roll to express his art, and he kept trying to challenge that.
When Alpine finishes up, how would you like Alpine to be remembered?
I find our songs as something that might not hit you straight away, but what we try to do is create our albums where the songs grow on you. I don’t know to be honest! I just hope that people can keep listening to the music and love it forever!
Do you ever listen back to your own tunes much? What do you think listening back to your old stuff?
It’s nostalgic remembering everything that was going on at the time. It’s like re-reading a diary entry, you think “Oh my God I was thinking this? I’ve changed so much since then!” When I listen to A Is For Alpine and then Yuck I think that it’s cool, because you watch yourself grow up and remember what you have gone through at the time, as well as what you have learnt since then. I don’t think I’ve ever cringed. The EP makes me giggle because that was so long ago and we had no idea what we were doing. We hadn’t grasped how we were going about as performers, and we were a bit lost. Then we got signed and just sort of fumbled around. Then when I look at Yuck I think of how we have come so far and we are so much more self-assured. We’re so close as a band, it’s really awesome seeing how close our bond has become as friends and as musicians. I’m really excited for the next record because we have an even stronger bond and have been through the process twice now with recording, so we have sat down and we are all on the same page how we wanna approach the process. It’s also amazing that we get to do it again. That’s really wonderful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzHeNVMqKqg
How is that process coming along with album number three?
We’ve started writing, and we just wanna really have more of an organic style, and we don’t wanna feel rushed. Tim the keyboardist has started getting involved with more of the writing, and he has suddenly just come really into his own as a songwriter. He was one of the forces behind Damn Baby, and also one of the ideas for Foolish, and they are two of our biggest songs. It’s interesting to see where we are going, but we all really respect each other. There are no massive egos in Alpine. We are really open to trying things, and everyone is very diplomatic and great, which is how the process should be. Then you obviously get your label people coming in, but if you can have your base sorted where you are all cool and happy, then that’s great. There is no point creating art if you’re not enjoying it. Being friends gives you the confidence to try ideas. I used to be very insecure with songwriting. I didn’t think I was good enough, and it was really terrifying because Phoebe and Christian had studied music and had a strong understanding, whereas I kind of came from nowhere and was writing melodies and ideas, but always second questioned what I was doing. There are times where I still doubt, but I know these guys are like family and so supportive, so it takes away that pressure, and they always want to hear my ideas. The best piece of advice I could give any musician is that when something feels uncomfortable at first, it usually ends up being the coolest thing in a song. It might not be, but that’s something that we have definitely figured out with our song writing.
What parts of Yuck did you have those thoughts over?
The song Standing Not Sleeping has kind of a snare drum part that has a marching sound at the beginning, and I found it really annoying at first, and it just bugged me. Now though, it’s my favourite song to perform, and I love getting into the drum part. It took me a really long time and a bit weird, but everyone thought it was great. I don’t know why. Phoebe would probably say that when she first wrote Foolish, she went “I’m gonna try to write a hilarious pop song and really take the piss.” She showed me, and I was like, “That’s awesome!” We really didn’t change much, just the instruments around it. But what Phoebe wrote was so cool, and people loved it. It’s fun and cheeky and doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it’s a concept that people could relate to. Having the work ‘Yuck’ in a song was also really great, and that ended up being the title of the album, because we thought that it was just the best word.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6I4MZUtCCo
Who are some bands your keen to see at Mountain Sounds?
The Jezabels for sure. We supported them a few years ago, and they really taught us about how to work hard as a band when you’re touring and not just to get drunk and party all the time. They really taught us to treat it as work, and we have really taken that with us. Besides that, I haven’t seen Delta Riggs yet, and Art vs Science because I have never seen them before and I love them. What appeals to me is that they are just super daggy and the guys are all super nice. Holy Holy, I’ve wanted to see for a while as well. It’s really hard though when you are at a festival as an artist and you want to see all these bands, depending on when your set time is and load in and press, you sometimes hardly get to see anyone.
Alpine Tour Dates
Thursday, 28th January: Australian Open, Olympic Park, Melbourne
Friday, 19th February: Estonia House, Melbourne.
Tickets
Saturday, 20th February: Mountain Sounds Festival, Central Coast, NSW.
Tickets
Monday, 14th March: WOMAdelaide, Botanic Park.
Tickets
Off the back of their sophomore release, Yuck (which we recently reviewed), Alpine are heading out on the road to introduce fans to a new suite of tracks. The six piece had a very warm reception to their debut A is for Alpine both at home and abroad, and if the buzz is anything to go by, surpass all second album expectations with their follow up. With little time to catch up on the eve of the tour, we posed some questions to the band in a Q& A to get a little bit of insight into the record and how it came together.
“We’ve really grown together as a band in terms of having a clearer sense of identity and of our musical influences. This allowed us to be fearless and take this album to the next level in terms of its sound,” writes Lou James, as she flies out for the Adelaide show, “…we really do think about pop music in quite an unusual way. There’s an almost strategy in how we write each song which makes them have their own distinct uniform.”
Lou makes up half of the honeyed and euphoric vocals you hear on the album, alongside band mate Phoebe Barker. Just from listening you can tell that there is a rich and contextual set of influences and ideas at play, and she lets us in on a few.
The music definitely sounds more refined. Like on Come On, it feels so vast, and there’s all this wonderful empty space. Were there times where you consciously pulled back or reigned it in?
Musically there wasn’t any space on our first record. It was definitely something we wanted to play with this time. In Come On, we really gave Phoebe’s voice room to breathe.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/203480389″]
Can you tell us about your discovery of Tropicalia artists and the influence they had on the latest album?
We began listening to a lot of this on the road whilst touring in the states. 1960s/1970s South American pop artists like Caeteno Veloso and Milton Nascrimento were two of the artists we all loved listening to. Something flirtatious about their music was what we were attracted to. However, we didn’t begin jamming on it until we were back home staying in Byron Bay in a beach shack right on the ocean. Perhaps it was the sunny, summer vibes that helped us to make Foolish the tropicalia inspired track that it is on the album.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1emgUdD3_pE]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieajwo-oSmU]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6I4MZUtCCo]
There’s a really sultry R&B sound throughout the album. Had you decided to go down that road before starting to write for the album, or was it more of an organic influence from what you were listening to at the time?
The process of writing what we wanted made the decisions for us. All of us listen to that sort of music together before shows to get us pumped up, so it was probably inevitable!
Guitarist Christian O’Brien also co-produced the album this time around. What influence did this had on the overall product?
This time having Dann and Christian work together as producers was great. They bounced ideas back and forth and it seemed neither of them wanted to be the one who signed off on a track. They both wanted to just keep pushing and pushing. Often with us the last thing to be recorded is the strongest. So it’s good to be pushed hard in the studio.
Christian was quoted saying, “I wanted to see if certain things would work in a pop song,” and as we can hear, those limits were really pushed… was the intended sound achieved, and do you have a particular favourite moment in that sense?
For the most part I think it was. A song like Come On where music was so sparce and lush and there is two grooves happening at once; one swung, one straight. We didn’t hold back on that track at all. And it’s still a pop song in the end.
Christian also said most of the songs came from a “textural or harmonic idea” that he was curious about. So with that in mind, is the music more important than the lyrical content or the theme of a song? Or is it more about how the two come together?
It’s always as important. But things take their turn. Jellyfish started as a conceptual idea and the music was made with so much care, then we have myself and Phoebe both writing to the music, responding to it. Then that response becomes as important as the music.
Your tour kicks off really soon – we especially can’t wait to see you at Splendour. You must be so excited to play some of your new stuff live there – is there one song you can’t wait to share on stage? Have you got any tricks up your sleeve?
Splendour was our first ever festival we played at. I think this will be our third Splendour and we really can’t wait! Thankfully we’ll be very warmed up after this tour. I’m actually sitting on the plane about to fly to Adelaide for our first show. I can’t reveal any secrets just yet, you’ll just have to see us! A visual treat I promise! Jellyfish is my favorite song on the album and can’t wait to perform it!
With six of you, how do you manage being in such close confines on tour for extended periods?
You become like siblings. You just learn to deal with everyone’s weird habits and respect each other’s space. It’s great fun but sometimes feels like boot camp and it can be tough so you gotta love and look after each other so you can also relish in the spontaneous adventure times!
What do you do to unwind when you come off tour?
I love going for big walks around my neighbourhood in north Fitzroy. It’s my perfect type of meditation in order to clear my head. Or go to my favorite cosy bar and enjoy a red wine and pizza with a friend.
As a group, do you create music purely that you want to create, do you think more about what your audience might want, or is it a mix of both? If so, how do you find that balance?
Yes 100% we create music we want to create. It’s never about the audience but obviously if you write music you love and pour your heart and soul into it, then you hope people will love it too.
You’ve been a band since 2009. If you could go back and give your younger self-advice, what would it be?
Get excited! You’ll still be doing this in 2015
That piece of advice may hold the key to what makes Yuck so good. On Alpine’s last release the band were starting out, rife with uncertainty, unsure of what the future might hold. This time around, their is a confidence that comes from being established and self-assured. They aren’t just ‘doing it’ in 2015, they are owning it, and we can’t wait to see what the rest of the tour offers.
You can check out all the details and get tickets here.
Alpine‘s new release, Yuck, is an album that is best experienced like a swimming pool. There’s no point dipping your toes in; you just have to throw yourself head first and let the coolness wash over you. From opening track Come On, the smooth and sophisticated melodies overlay an instrumental track that is both complex and sparse. You can float there, staring at the sky, letting the world drift away.
Alpine’s latest offering is cinematic in its approach, teetering around themes of love, uncertainty and self-doubt. With such heady and haunting instrumentation, it feels like it could almost be the posthumous soundtrack to Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides. And that might not be a coincidence. The sextet evokes the dreamy soundscapes of French group Air who originally scored the film, and captivates listeners with similar sensual hooks.
First single, Foolish (which we have included in our top songs of the year so far, by the way,) uses the word “yuck” to describe the feeling of falling for someone despite all your best intentions and interests. Like so many moments on the album, it represents that confounding butterflies in the stomach feeling, and reminds listeners of the infectious indie pop that the group bought on their debut A is for Alpine. The video which cleverly debuted on April Fool’s Day was directed by Melbourne artist Tristan Jalleh. It perfectly furnishes the world that the song creates.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6I4MZUtCCo]
The ability to pen a catchy radio anthem is still alive and well with the band, but Yuck also brings a whole lot more. On Jellyfish, there are Bjork-like moments that quickly transition to something that could be found in a 90’s pop song (Merril Bainbridge’s I Could Be Your Lover strangely springs to mind). Guitarist and co-producer Christian O’Brien says: “Most of the music of the songs came from a textural or harmonic idea that I was curious about. I wanted to see if certain things would work in a pop song.” This open-hearted experimentation is clear, and the compositions on the whole are a resounding success.
The vocals on the album are often minimalist in nature. Songs are allowed to breathe their own life without being smothered in complex ideas. Shy Fox encapsulates this with the echoing line “When you’re gone, the world seems brighter. And when you’re heart beats mine beats faster.” This self-assured deftness might just be what makes the album work so well. As a group nothing is overdone. Each moment is allowed to flow onto the next with relaxed ease.
The deluxe edition of the album features three bonus tracks So Long, Saturn and the wonderfully titled Bold Digger. While the first two bring little new, the final track brings a fun and rhythmic breath of fresh air to close out a stellar album.
In case you can’t tell, I am a big fan of this latest offering and can’t wait to see Alpine perform the new tracks live for the first time on their upcoming tour. You can buy the album in digital, CD and vinyl form here.
So you just read our feature on the worst songs of 2015 so far, and I know that you heard some things you can never un-hear. You might be wishing that you’d googled the crimes of a serial killer instead – it might have been less disturbing. You might have even preferred to read about this creepy thing going on in Sweden right now. But, just like that time you drank a bottle of Passion Pop and vomited all over your best friends favourite shoes, some things just can’t be undone. Turn off that Ed Sheeran track you have been listening to on repeat to heal your pain. You’re better than that. We can get through this together.
Our “worst of” list gave you six tracks, and I am a strong believer that there must be at least twice as much good in the world, so let’s look on the bright side with the 12 best songs of 2015 so far.
12. Holy Holy: You Cannot Fall For Love Like a Dog (Album: When the Storms Would Come)
Holy Holy are already making massive waves and their debut album isn’t due out until the 17th of July. If this track is anything to go by, it is going to be expansive and powerful – a crowning achievement for the Brisbane/Melbourne duo. The pair, who we interviewed last year, produce a sound that is sophisticated and effortless, with sublime melodies, amplified by driving guitars.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrVadO8BHRk]
11. The Chemical Brothers: Go ft. Q-Tip (Album: Born in the Echoes)
Daft Punk did it with their album Random Access Memories and The Chemical Brothers do it again with Go. Listeners are transported to a sleazy jaw-clenching nightclub in the best possible way -The kind of place where open chested shirts and questionable facial hair choices are not only accepted, but encouraged. And it sure as hell is better than the goddamn Salmon Dance
If it was a club from Saturday Night Live character Stefon, it would be the one called: “Thank You! Located inside a crashing blimp, this Eurotrash utopia is the creation of beatnik doctor Soul Patch Adams. This place has everything: Zip lines, fish food, that fat Hawaiian guy that no one invited, an old Pakistani woman that looks like a California Raisin…”
From album Born in the Echoes due out on July 17, I’ve got my dancing shoes ready for a marathon. Pre-order it here.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO2RPDZkY88]
10. Gang of Youths: Vital Signs (Album: The Positions)
Australian indie rock outfit Gang of Youths are just killing it with their vibrant chorale sound. They have all the weight and depth of bands like The National or Arcade Fire, but with far fewer collective years – so just imagine where they’ll end up! Vital Signs is an epic track spanning seven and a half minutes with a pulsing drumbeat and an anthemic build that reminds me of everything good about indie music. As wonderful, if not more so live than on record, make sure you get to a GoY gig as soon as you can.
9. A$AP Rocky: L$D (Album: At.Long.Last.A$AP)
To be honest, I wasn’t sure about A$AP Rocky’s latest release until I heard this track (but read our album review here to judge for yourself.) My best advice: turn it up loud. Real loud. You don’t just want to hear those sweet opening bass notes, you want to feel them right down in your toes. Overlaid with some saucy vocals from A$AP it’s enough to make a nun hot under the collar. It’s slick, smooth and surprisingly lovely. Considering it’s the only non-rap track on a sprawling rap album, we’re thinking A$AP could even consider a career move to making indie-psych music in the future. Oh, and for a stunning live rendition of this track, check this video out from A$AP’s recent performance on Jimmy Fallon’s late night talk show.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feDLr_e4v5A]
8. Torres: Sprinter (Album: Sprinter)
Torres weaves a story with her voice in a way that evokes PJ Harvey or Fiona Apple, but has a sadness that is all her own. Considering that Torres, aka Mackenzia Scott worked with PJ Harvey producer Robert Ellis and Portishead’s Adrian Utley, it’s not surprise that this is one hell of a gorgeous sound. Sprinter is a complex, emotional and enthralling track that makes you feel everything. I may be a glutton for punishment but I can’t stop listening.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6SIw30IOt8]
7. Alpine: Foolish (Album: Yuck)
The first taste of sophomore album Yuck, Foolish (which was appropriately released on April Fool’s Day) is very much the opposite. Sweet, syrupy and delicious, it’s a track that will no doubt leave you on a sugar high. Foolish sails you down a little river of good vibes and leaves you feeling toe tappingly blissful. The follow-up to their chart topping debut album A is for Alpine, Yuck officially dropped last week – purchase it here.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6I4MZUtCCo]
6. Editors: No Harm (Album TBC)
Some songs just can’t be summed up in words. I could try and say it’s like the genetic recombination of Nick Cave and James Blake but it still wouldn’t sum up the cold, dark, haunted beauty in a way that does justice. Having been around for a lot longer than other artists on this list, it’s pure bliss to see bands who can consistently release songs of this calibre, four albums and more than a decade into their musical career. Deep, rich and seriously powerful, you need to listen to this track.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/200911419″]
5. Tyler, The Creator: The Brown Stains of Darkeese Latifah Part 6-12 (Remix) (Album: Cherry Bomb)
Sometimes he can be hard to love, but when Tyler the Creator is on, he can also be hard to hate. The Odd Future ringleader, (who will be visiting our fair country later this year) just dropped his new album Cherry Bomb, and this is easily our favourite song from the release. On The Brown Stains… he is all the way on. It’s not ground breaking, sure, but it doesn’t need to be. Loud and obnoxious and raw in a way that’s really quite unique to the gravel-voiced rapper, there’s so much to love about this track.
4. Tame Impala: Cause I’m a Man (Album: Currents)
Kevin Parker and co. keep on dishing out their own brand of chill psychedelic licks that melt faces like ice cream on hot pavement. If I had to sum this track up with a picture it would look like this:
Their HIGHLY anticipated new album, Currents, is due out July 17th (the same day as the Holy Holy record, so it’s going to be a great day for Aus music!) If you need me, don’t, because I will be very much unavailable. Let’s hope that they actually see money from the sales this time. The internationally renowned psych-rockers will also be headlining July’s Splendour in the Grass, meaning that we’ll be among the first in the world to hear the new material performed live!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hefh9dFnChY]
3. Courtney Barnett: Pedestrian at Best (Album: Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit)
I love our homegrown rock poet Courtney Barnett with a big heart and a healthy dose of jealousy. Who doesn’t? We love her so much that we’ve not just taken photos of the Melbourne artist rocking out, but we’ve reviewed her live show twice.
I often find myself wondering why I can’t be witty and profound while making catchy ballads about smoking weed and tending to my garden. Why can’t I be a modern female Bob Dylan with a great haircut? The answer is because she already does it so well, and deep down I think I am ok with that. Pedestrian At Best was one of our first tastes of her brilliant album Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit, which has gone on to become one of our absolute favourite albums of the year so far.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-nr1nNC3ds]
For now I will just make do with singing the lyrics really loud. Do it with me: I’m a Scorpiooooo!
Feels good right?
2. Alabama Shakes: Don’t Wanna Fight (Album: Sound & Color)
Brittany Howard can do no wrong. When the first single off Sound and Color, burst onto the airwaves in February I was a little nervous. I loved the band’s debut Boys & Girls so much I wasn’t sure they could live up to the hype. But all my expectations were turned on their head with that husky squeal, that soft growl, that old soul bursting from her 25 year old body. It’s pure ecstasy. If you loved their first album, you’ll love their second offering even more. Brilliantly complex and overwhelmingly diverse, it’s another one of our absolute highlights of the year so far.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nin-fiNz50M]
1. Kendrick Lamar: King Kunta (Album: To Pimp a Butterfly)
Was there ever any question that this would be at the top of the list? Kendrick Lamar is the golden goose with the Midas touch in 2015. Yes, that’s a lot of references to gold, but probably not enough to summarise how amazing this song is. It is smart, soulful, catchy and everything you want from a “song of the year.” Plus, if that isn’t enough it also incites some amazing dance moves, even from a rhythmically impaired white girl like me. As politically and culturally powerful as it is musically brilliant, this was a shoe-in for our top choice.
Try NOT dancing like Taylor Swift every time it comes on.
2015, I’d dare you to release a better song, but I am not sure my heart could take it.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRK7PVJFbS8]
This Melbourne-based six-piece sure made our day on Wednesday.
Alpine’s new single, along with its video, Foolish were fittingly released this week on April Fools Day. This is the first single from their upcoming album Yuck, which fans will be able to download for free when they pre-order the deluxe version. By ordering the 180g vinyl via Alpine’s own special pre-order bundles, they will receive a limited edition tote bag. Free stuff for everyone!
The video is fun and full of colour, which is perfect for the upbeat single. The video adds the amazing visual elements of mountaineer landscapes and poolside shots; it’s basically the holiday of our dreams. The vocals’ voices harmonize beautifully while the strings provide the fresh, light rhythm that makes us feel as though summer isn’t over yet.
Guitarist Christian O’Brien says they wanted to push the envelope on the pop genre with this album. “Most of the music of the songs came from a textural or harmonic idea that I was curious about. I wanted to see if certain things would work in a pop song”
This is the follow-up to their debut album, A Is For Alpine. The highly-successful album peaked at number 1 on the iTunes charts and number 11 on the ARIA charts. Let’s hope they can do it again with Yuck.
The album will be officially released on June 12th.