Alpine showcase their new sound

Review by Andrea Royston

In the last month, adored Melbourne band, Alpine, released a catchy new single ‘Dumb’. Known for their mesmerising melodies, the group are making their return known by playing a string of headline shows across the country.

One thing that is missing is founding member Lou James, who recently announced her departure from the band. Lou’s departure certainly raised concerns amongst fans about the direction the band would be taking once breaking the unique vocal duo between her and other lead vocalist, Phoebe Baker.

This single follows the release of the band’s album Yuck (2015) and A Is For Alpine (2012). ‘Dumb’ signifies the start of a new chapter for this band and their gig at Howler (Melbourne) on Saturday night strongly supports this.

In lead singer Phoebe Baker’s own words, “It’s about how we can encourage our romantic imagination to a point of ignorance. Hopeless optimism on a ship of sinking love. There is a somewhat perverse enjoyment found when flirting with someone when ultimately you know it’s going to hurt. There are elements of play to be found within the slow dissolve of a relationship. Satisfaction can still be gained in the midst of an ending.”

Fans can be reassured because Alpine still know how to draw a crowd. They hold this certain nostalgia that keeps everyone returning for more all this time later – a quality you don’t find too often.

Support acts and Triple J Unearthed artists, Stella Farnan and Merpire, put on fantastic sets. A compliment to the main act.

Alpine took the stage and opened with a snazzy introduction. The crowd were clearly happy to see the band as the cheers were bouncing off the walls. This was followed by the bands second ever single, ‘Gasoline’. This track would be a familiar tune to anyone, Alpine fan or not. This track received a lot of attention upon its release in 2012. It was played frequently on stations such as Triple J and featured in a few advertisements. This song exposed the band to an international platform where they toured the US and were revealed as nominees for an APRA Music Award.

Despite this performance being a showcase to the bands new chapter and innovative direction, the audience really got to see the band everyone fell in love with back in 2012. Songs ‘Villages’ and ‘Hands’ were clear crowd favourites.

Before the energetic encore, we were given our first live taste of new song ‘Dumb’. This track has already had strong airplay on radio stations which has given fans a good chance to become familiar with it. It was evident through the movement of the crowd and singalongs, that it has been received well so far.

The show ended on the notes of ‘Lovers 2’, a catchy tune from the band’s first album. The night closed with ‘Foolish’, the first single off their second album which really exposed their slight change in direction.

It was safe to say that the show was a success and that the new version of Alpine quite possibly are headed in a fun and innovative direction.

This was Alpine’s only show in Melbourne, but if you happen to be in Perth, Adelaide, Sydney or Brisbane in the coming weeks, it isn’t too late. Get your tickets at https://alpineband.com/tour.