Relative babes in arms, ALPHABET, have only been playing live for about a year. While that might feel like an eternity for any eager new band, this London-based, Brighton-formed quartet of friends has spent the time honing their songwriting. Now, they can showcase the brooding shoegaze sounds that inspire their ornate debut single, “Artificial Light.”
Mixing melodic voices with rough-hewn, sawing guitars and frenetic rhythms, Lena, Milo, Tom, and George manage to wring post-punk feeling and energy from their sonic palette while remaining dreamlike and serene. They epitomize swans swimming on a calm lake while furiously paddling beneath the surface.
ALPHABET packages solid, anticipated shoegaze melancholia with grace, adding a more delicate nuanced feeling to lyrics expressing self-doubts and anxiety. “Artificial Light” is a fine opening salvo that makes listeners eager to hear more from the band. Let’s hope there’s more coming out soon.
Check out the video below of an early live outing of the single via the YouTube link below.
