Alpine On Their “Sassy” New Album

The Aussie six-piece Alpine has always been a band with plenty attitude (just revisit their past singles like “Heartlove” as proof). But with a couple of massive tours under their belt, and the crazy life experiences that go along with them, they’ve found more than enough inspiration to channel into their follow-up LP, Yuck.

Like always, the tracks are a super-polished mashup of glorious pop melodies and electric beats, but pay extra attention to the lyrics and you’ll notice their self-described “pop fusion” sound has a deeper message. Inspired by all the annoying things that go along with being an grown-up, it’s a cheeky, rebellious ode to adulthood. But no matter your age, every single track is so good that you’ll want to sing along. Just before the album’s release, we chatted with vocalist Lou James about what it’s like touring with her best friends and the best parts of having Peter Pan syndrome.

Your album Yuck drops next week. Congrats! Thanks, we can’t wait for everyone to hear it. It’s still nerve-wrecking because in many ways it’s like, you’re giving someone this gift you‘ve been working on for so long. The six of us are so stoked!

Where did you write this album?
It’s so hard for us to write while we’re on tour. When we toured the States we were in this 12-seat van, so there’s really not much room. The luxury of a tour bus is something that we don’t really know [Laughs].  After tour, we came home and felt disconnected from home since we had been away so long; so, we sort of took a break from each other and just chilled out for a bit. We love each other, but it was a necessary time-out. Then we got the lust for life again, and headed to the studio. Once that happened, it didn’t take long to get down with it.

What’s the vibe like when you guys are on tour together?
We all started out as friends first; none of us were session players. So, by now we know so much about each other—too much, probably! – that nobody else even has an idea about. It’s crazy, but it’s fun.

What’s the best part about being on tour with your best friends?
The best part is that you get to share this amazing experience with one another: performing for crowds and getting to go to places you never thought you would get to go to. It’s your special bond that you share, and nobody else knows what it’s like.

And the worst part?
Seeing each other when you’re having a bad day, and you’re grumpy. It’s just those kinds of things that happen when you don’t have your own space, and it’s really challenging. Every so often you just need to be in your own bedroom by yourself, and that’s impossible when you’re surrounded by people.

What can your fans expect from this new album? [The last album] A Is For Alpine had a bit more of an innocence to it, and Yuck is about being self-assured, confident, and understanding yourself more. We’re in our late twenties and early thirties now, so we’re still discovering things about ourselves. It’s why we call the album Yuck – as you get older, you think things will just figure themselves out. But they don’t, and then you realize that things are still really hard! [Laughs] Naming the record Yuck is just sort of a funny, tongue-in-cheek reaction.

What can you tell us about the sound itself?
It’s sassy! There’s more influence from ‘90s r&b vibes, and a Chaka Khan sort of sound that you might get from songs like “Foolish.” We can throw all sorts of influences at each track, and take stuff out, and add things. This one really reflects us as a band and shows a more mature version of ourselves…but only slightly!

Pre-order Alpine’s new album Yuck here.