by Matty McPherson (@ghostplanetmatt)
One of the more interesting developments in the indiesphere in 2021 has been Polyvinyl opening an office in Texas. The label’s recent partnering with Double Double Whammy, Father/Daughter, and now Keeled Scales, have further entangled them with a sleuth of artists from in and around the Lone Star state. This emphasis on Texas though intersects with Polyvinyl’s shock distribution of Hum’s Inlet. The return of the noted heavy gazers and the general interest their physical CD and vinyl left in its wake has opened Polyvinyl up to a lane of heavier music that previously seemed out of reach. The result of both of these forces intermingling resulted in Alexaloneworld’s mid-August release on their calendar.
In 2016, Alexalone was just a bedroom project. The touring bassist for Hovvdy as well as a performer with Smith+Robot, Austin native, Alex Peterson was forging a sound that pushed Alexalone into a three-piece and then a four-piece. This was solidified as Peterson, Sam Jordan, Alex Hulett, and Mari “more eaze” Rubio just before COVID upended their fortunes and they began crafting a culmination of the previous iterations of Peterson’s music and projects. Since Polyvinyl slid into their DMs in summer 2020, the band has become a five piece that’s practically a supergroup in its own right. Lomelda’s Hannah Read joined the team, contributing guitar, bass, synth, and vocals while Rubio’s maverick ECM prowess provides anything between synth wizardry and pulsing bass freakouts. It’s a recipe that puts the band’s indie label debut in the exceptional position of sounding like seasoned veterans.
In my last review for the site on Luggage, I noted that slowcore seemed to be MIA on a majority of indie labels in the current ecosystem. Alexaloneworld is a pretty frank rebuttal. Let’s start with the cover. Note the Scritti Politti info dump--not on costs (directly) but the sheer amount of gear used to create this sound. Take that in tandem with Karolina Asadova’s rendering of an oblique cartoon wonderland, then scope the liner notes for yet another mastering job by Bob “Rusty” Weston. All in all, it's evocative display of slowcore, intersected with shoegaze and (even) power electronics, distilled to a tidy forty minutes.
Not all of these elements interplay together on every track--at first. Side A is a slow burn, often featuring Jordan’s motorik drumming sound and guitar frequencies humming over like low-orbiting satellites (most notably on “Electric Sickness,” “Unpacked My Feelings,” and “Can’t Sleep”). Still, there’s an impressive amount of transitions and fantastical space and composition to these tracks. As “Electric Sickness” hits a terminal impasse under a bridge of noise, “Where in the World” transcends the feeling, with a mighty wave of a guitar riff, soaking in all of its wailing majesty across six minutes. Suddenly, “Unpacked My Feelings” upends this emphasis on slow, making a push (in its last half) for the mosh pit, with a syncopated hardcore scuzz n’ fuzz blast that tilts and whirls. Meanwhile, “Let it Go” glistens like the stars, every reverb-injected chord operating as a bolt from the blue. It’s an impressive display of force, a contrast made noticeable by the way Peterson’s harmonic lyricism emphasizes downward spirals, misbegotten failures, and an existential malaise at the ontological nature of oneself; slowcore hallmarks.
There’s a long tail to shoegaze that’s created more layered and personal touches. More so than the 1992 Creation catalog--especially on the heavier side of the spectrum. Alexalone is more cunning in warping how that heavy should sound, especially on side B, where Alexalone’s theatrics and technicality culminate in a three part escapade. First, there’s “Black Rainbow,” a heady slab of atmospheric stonergaze--when it hits the fray, you know. Nestled in the middle of the track is an aberration--an Enablers (not Slint) style monologue about Sisyphean tests, limits, and transfiguration; it’s directness and stubborn assuredness matched perfectly against a vicious noise onslaught that the outro builds to. “Ruins” sees Read harmonizing and offering a foil to Peterson lyrically, while sonically it approaches the most grandiose and majestic the album stretches towards, complete with a rollicking guitar solo. Although, the best is saved for last with “Eavesdropper”.
If there is a sonic path I foresee Alexalone going down, then I’d attribute it to “Eavesdropper” in particular. The six minute instrumental borders on a freeform jam--as brooding and foreboding as a country drive at 90 mph away from a cryptid in pitch black. Jordan’s drums carry the weight of this track’s motion, offering a base for Rubio’s atmospheric synthesizer work alongside the gutting, buzzsaw pulses to take the lead stage and push forth towards crescendo drops and grindhouse guitar melodies. The composition allows for a brief moment of subdued terror, just before the last minute kicks everything up to a blaring alarm assault. In the video they sent forth for the track, the five-piece looks absolutely meticulous as much as maniacal at all the hell they’ve set loose. So rare is an act of this caliber able to convey their sound and build a world to a tee. Here they do so with enough flair and gusto that I can only imagine what they are currently throwing on an unexpecting crowd while on tour.