Latest four track EP from Bristol Alt-Pop outfit Ålesund adds to a growing profile whilst ticking several musical boxes.

Available now on Bandcamp

The latest EP from Ålesund does the proverbial what it says on the tin. Restless Tides is a truly an appropriate title – the band refusing to be pinned down and not loitering around the corners and tropes of the same musical genre.

Drawing inspiration from a diverse range of musical genres and artists, Ålesund’s sound is a fusion of dreamy pop hooks, atmospheric soundscapes, and alternative rock riffs,

Fronted by the ethereal vocals of British-Norwegian singer-songwriter Alba Torriset, Ålesund began working with producer Ben Satherley-Johnson who also plays guitar, in Bristol’s Humm Studios in early 2023 to help bring her vision to life, and Restless Tides is the culmination of the collaboration.

Lyrically the songs explore the huge range and breadth of being human. What is it to live? What is a good life? Who should it be spent with? How should you live your life? whilst musically, the palette gets a tweak.

Keen to keep the sound more raw and rough around the edges for this batch of songs, anyone expecting something dreamy and full of ambient textures from the frozen North might be surprised by the pulsing Thrive. It sees the band ticking off the goal to transpose the live band energy to the studio with pumping basslines and a raw and grunge-y approach to Satherley-Johnson’s guitar tones.

Devotion is a much brighter and poppier outpouring – the “I’m only human baby” refrain delivers on the earworm front, and the “I’m no longer lost, I’m free,” line hints at the the thrill of freedom and independence. A soulful Rode Off Into The Sun with the plea (“don’t wait for me“) meets up with synthesised brass to create a nostalgic ‘summer festival at dusk’ feel to it while Never Enough returns into the grungy guitar riffs. Add some galloping drums to the latter – think Running Up That Hill and the well worn Kate Bush references – and another ‘live in the studio’ feel to the song emerges.

Four songs that keep the Ålesund kettle boiling and which go some way to exploring new sounds and styles.

Here’s Devotion from the EP:

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