Alpine: A Is For Alpine
Alpine: A is for Alpine– Though they hail from no alpine village, the debut album of Australia’s Alpine certainly reaches the crisp purity of acme snow. This six piece group stand out with their breathy duo of lofty voices lent by the radiant female leads and pop sensibilities. Floating with angelic vocals and sharp beats, A is for Alpine delivers some dreamlike punches of heart break, angst, and youthful disorder without the melodrama. Their lyrics carry a gentle power, especially in stand out tracks like ‘Hands” and ‘Villages’. Alpine focuses more on the feeling of each word; rather than telling a story of woeful break ups or unrequited love, A is for Alpine strips each song down to a beautiful bundle of core lyrics. This elemental approach to song writing creates an intimacy between band and listener that is unavoidable and even better– You can sway your heart out to it.
Alpine has found that right recipe of pop without the tooth-rotting, sugary sweetness. Think a shiny disco ball without the smarmy group dances or nylon suits. Alpine combines the need for lights, sound, and movement with heartfelt, heartsick lyrics. Especially in stand out tracks like ‘Hands’ and ‘Villages’, they truly shine. In fact, put ‘Hands’ on any college radio station and I guarantee a summer’s classic.
My complaints about this album are minimal. While it’s not perfection (which wouldn’t work into Alpine’s style, they’re about beauty in human stumbling), this album glows with intimately-crafted songs. There is something fresh and rather pure about the entirety of A is for Alpine that allows for listen after listen after listen. And this is exactly what is most necessary. Alpine’s true magic is in repeated visits. Their songs reveal layers worth unpacking again and again… 9/10