ALEXALONE

Links:
Apple Music
Bandcamp
Facebook
Instagram
Official Website
Qobuz
spirit research
Spotify
Tidal
YouTube

In the years since touring with their album ALEXALONE TECHNICAL RESEARCH, alexalone frontperson Alex Peterson has carved out space for creativity and reflection complemented by routine. On these mornings, you’d likely find Alex slicing and mixing in a central Austin food truck, laying groundwork for the day; their steel blade rhythmically cutting – a driving, metallic synthesis of movement and sound which carried over into their evening work conceiving and recording alexalone’s 4th full length record nomoreshoegaze. As they conceived this release, Alex had diverse influences such as indie rockers Low and Bjork, sludge metal greats Boris, avant-garde artists ASA CHANG and Junray, alt rockers Autolux, and Sade on repeat.

nomoreshoegaze recollects the worldbuilding from their sophomore album ALEXALONEWORLD with the first track “thegateisopening,” perhaps the album’s most forceful sounds storm towards tracks swirling with disillusionment, anger, loss. Slowcore stunners “memoryeater,” “nomoney,” and “curse” mark the space beyond the aforementioned gate as more interior musing than imagined world. On these three tracks, Peterson tangles with memory loss, economic shackles, and defiantly facing down the darkness inside that breeds shame. Tranquil collective voices provide a balm for the anguish expressed by the lyrical speaker across these songs. The album pivots with “everydayishalloween” where attention shifts out towards our geopolitical sphere; here the chorus becomes media soundbites accentuating war, destruction, invasion, and the rage-tinged sorrow established in earlier tracks swells to encompass seemingly unending evils piercing through and infecting the world. As the album reaches the final tracks, alexalone wash away the lyrical voice in favor of instrumental escape. The final lyrical track, “bypassthegate,” ushers us past dread and disillusionment toward what alexalone does best, curate musical experience. Release takes the form of gentle orchestral cadences in dialogue with noisy guitar on “centipede,” and a humming, at times minimalist sound on “nomoreshoegaze” which allows the tension to build (as alexalone songs almost always do) until the final gasps of sound mark the album’s conclusion.

The core band consists of Peterson, their steady percussionist Sam Jordan and Dante Zatto of proun (who alexalone tours with this fall). As usual, a large and impressive array of musicians and friends contribute sounds to the record, including Hannah Read (vocals) of Lomelda, Jamie Weed (guitar, vocals) of proun, Sowmya Somanath (harmonium, vocals) and Walter Nichols (EWI, Saxaphone) of Felt Out, Genevieve Poist (vocals) of Virginia Creeper, Trent Bownds (vocals) of Woodcutter(s), Kai Wilde (drums) of On Being An Angel, Lindsey Peavler (violin) of Micajah and Bryan Reed of Subspace. alexalone have mostly taken a break from shows while devoting time to creating, recording and mixing this record. Though these intervening years have been good, previous tours/shows in support of Palehound, Soccer Mommy, Lomelda, Deerhoof, and Frankie Cosmos, etc, have alexalone ready to invite chaos into their lives as they hit the road and play shows with their friends.

-by Stacy Rodgers