Meet the London based alt-rock duo
PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF FOR US WHO ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH YOU AND
YOUR MUSIC AND TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF.
Alterpodes are a London based alt rock duo whose entanglement of noise and melody comes together as a sculpted wail of single coils and dissonant harmony. Formed by Londoner Harry and Puerto Rican Reyson, Alterpodes began life as an online collaboration during the early days of lockdown in 2020, with a mission to join the musical dots between David Bowie, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Beatles and The Pixies.
Harry’s a Brazlian born, London bred musician. He’s been part of the local music scene for a few years now both as a singer and as a guitarist, performing solo and in bands. Reyson is originally from Puerto Rico and moved to London to pursue music having studied Fine Art in San Francisco. Slightly more recent addition Robinson on drums (and sometimes bass) is also from Brazil and now living in London - all this geographical alignment has happened quite accidentally but we are all the happier for it!
TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR NEW ALBUM OR SINGLE?
They’re two of our songs we imagine will work well live - they’re fun to play in rehearsal and have choruses you can get behind. The double single isn't really conceptual in an overall sense but is intended as a statement of where the band currently are musically and to establish a sound and a way forward.
WHAT INSPIRED THE ALBUM OR SINGLE?
Hearing Reyson’s guitar playing and the musical arrangements he’d come up with made coming up with melodies and lyrics a really natural process for me. So his artistry in a sense and the creativity that evoked in me. In terms of the lyrical content, watching Killing Eve the TV series made me interested in trying to understand the protagonist’s(?) mindset and to maybe generalise the things she had been suppressing. Cardboard Cutout was more drawing on teenage memories and looking back and imagining things one might have said or done differently. I wanted to find some ideas I thought might fit the music.
CAN YOU SUM UP THE ALBUM IN A FEW WORDS?
Collaborative, multifaceted, part of a progression to find a collective sound, pulling different life experiences and individual journeys together. Dark and light, noisey and harmonic, polarised and blended.
WHAT RECORD CHANGED YOUR LIFE AND WHY?
Rubber Soul by the Beatles - it got me into singing harmonies in the car as a kid and I realised music was something I’d always have.
DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE MUSIC VIDEO FILMED BY YOUR BAND OR ANOTHER
ARTIST?
I wouldn’t say a favourite no - I feel like videos are more a particular interpretation of a song (even if probably many artists see them as part of the same creative process). I like Grimes videos because she seems like she has a lot of fun with her brother making them and has quite a lot of creative freedom - they definitely are part of the same creation as the music itself.
I recently like the Smile video by Wolf Alice because it really reminded me of a lot of London Pubs (Faltering fullback) - the lost souls at the bar was a vivid lyric and that whole familiar dingy, beer sodden world came to life in quite an uplifting euphoric way.
WHAT WOULD WE FIND YOU DOING WHEN YOU’RE NOT MAKING MUSIC?
Playing beach volleyball
Watching maths lectures
Making porridge
Outside of lockdown I prefer to go to watch live music or the cinema
DO YOU GET NERVOUS PERFORMING LIVE, IF SO HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH THAT?
Only if I feel underprepared - so not usually if I can help it - I’d more describe it as an excited kind of nervous rather than the dread kind of nervous. If I do happen to feel some neg vibes I will probably just go for a run up and down the street - shadow box in the venue toilet(!) - that sort of thing.
HOW DID YOU FORM THE BAND?
This was a lockdown remote collaboration - recording and sharing files from our bedrooms - we only more recently started rehearsing together in person.
HOW DO YOU WRITE? - DO YOU HAVE A KEY SONGWRITER, OR DO YOU ALL WORK
TOGETHER?
One of us will tend to do most of the arrangement on their own, then I’ll write lyrics and melody based on that - sometimes one of us will add a few more guitar/bass parts.
If we came up with an idea in the studio then that would be a more equal contribution and we’d each record the part we’d been playing (having recorded the basic idea on a phone or something at the time).
WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
My songwriting tends to be about an emotional journey, either mine or someone else’s. I’ll keep it vague so it can be relatable to different situations and not too literal. Most recently about confronting inner demons; being ostracised by a community and then finding your feet again; dealing with lockdown etc. Generally positive messages but sometimes I feel angry about something in the world and want people to see things differently so I try and frame that in a song. So they occasionally can be a bit political - those are tough to get right without coming across as preachy!
Another form of inspiration would be the elusive dream of this being a main job!
WHAT IS NEXT?
More - the next singles. Getting a liveshow together! The masterplan!!
I’d personally like to try and find an indie label for us within the next 12 months and do a tour to promote the band as soon as that’s possible.
PLEASE TELL US ANY SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS SO WE CAN SHARE.
Our socials:
https://www.facebook.com/alterpodes/
https://www.instagram.com/alterpodes/
https://alterpodes.bandcamp.com/
Find our music on:
Spotify, Bandcamp, Soundcloud
https://soundcloud.com/alterpodes
https://alterpodes.bandcamp.com/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5jglF9ZA0cMXv6eXbWagG3