After the untimely curtailing of their European Tour in Spring 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Ålesund traveled back to the UK feeling uncertain. Although things were going so well with a new offering and an extensive touring and festival schedule to get stuck into, the timing of the unplanned hiatus was less than ideal. Rather than take it to heart, the group’s vocalist and songwriter Alba Torriset retreated to her hometown of Hastings to try and reconnect with music in a positive way.
“With all the negativity in the world, I wanted to create something uplifting and optimistic,” she says. There’s been so much this year: Covid, BLM, Extinction Rebellion, the US elections. Things were hard enough without summing it all up in song form.” So instead the four-track EP ‘A Thread In The Dark’, the follow-up to 2020’s EP ‘All Hail To Your Queen’, was created. Alba and guitarist Lloyd Starr started to put together demos with a euphoric and festival-tinged edge. They then engaged with long-term collaborator and producer Jake Bright to help build the record.
“Making this kept us all moving,” says Alba. “Trying to bring a bit of light into our lives was important. The experience of spending some time together and really focussing on something in detail was essential for us. If music is supposed to do anything it brings people together. We hope when people listen to our latest offering it brings some happiness and hope!”
Commenting on the EP’s latest single ‘Pressure Point’, Alba states: “This is a song of two halves in some ways…I wrote it a while ago after some health problems left me bed-bound for days at a time. It made me think of how vulnerable we are, not just our bodies but our lives in general. Feeling like you have a lack of control of things in life can be scary. The first half of the song is a reflection on that, however, I didn’t want to dwell on the negativity those feelings can bring, instead think of the ways you can reclaim yourself, your life, and your decisions. The second half is much more feisty, up-tempo, and defiant. A conversation I had with myself about not letting my weakness dominate or define me.”
For further information on the band, visit their social media links:
Website: http://www.alesundmusic.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alesundmusic/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/alesundmusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alesundmusic/
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