Review: Alpines – Out of View
Alpines’ career has been fascinating to behold. Never a band to stick to the same sound, they emerged as a duo harnessing the drama of early singles ‘Empire’ and ‘Drive’, burst onto many people’s radar with the unforgettable ‘Cocoon’ and then re-emerged with the chilled ambience of debut full length ‘Oasis’. This time, leaving behind the grayscale of previous album ‘Another River’s artwork and bursting into full colour, it certainly appears that Alpines have evolved once more.
‘Full Bloom’, is still quite the mystery thus far, but the transition between records has been made all the smoother by this first cut: ‘Out Of View’. The track is, undoubtedly closer in style to their recent offerings; an engaging three-and-a-half minute taster of what is to come next. Production-wise, I dare say, it hints at early Alpines a little – it’s the dark tinge to the beats kicking in after the first chorus. Whether that was intentional though, I’m not too sure.
The duo cite 90s rave anthems as an inspiration for the track and the atmosphere that exhales from ‘Out of View’ has a striking authenticity to it. Catherine’s vocals have the ability to immediately elevate a song (there are few vocalists that could surpass the way she drifts between strength and fragility), and her presence brings a lot of the human warmth to this cut. SASH! would’ve killed to have her on one of his floorfillers.
Never stagnant, it’s always a delight to check out the latest offering from Alpines. Give it a listen, you won’t regret it.