Your Favourite New Band: Alpines

There are some bands who you know you’re going to like from the moment you first hear them. Their music is instantaneous; it seeps into your consciousness effortlessly and lingers there until the next song, or in very special cases for much longer. And then there are other bands for whom the process is far more organic, as each note is absorbed gradually over a period of time.

Only very rarely does a band come along and create music where these two processes combine. Alpines are one of those bands.

Hailing from South London, the duo of Catherine (vocals/keyboards) and Bob (guitars/production) create forward-thinking electronica which echoes music by the likes of Massive Attack and Burial. They describe their music as Night Pop, but in all fairness ‘Ice And Arrows’, which can be heard below, sounds as uplifting at 9am in the morning as it does on the dance floor at 3am. It’s an instant, industrial-sounding hit.

Catherine, an arts graduate, says “art, music and design” are all central themes in the band’s music, and so it’s no surprise that their aesthetic is seen as being as important as their musical output. You might just have to dig a little deeper to appreciate it.

Alpines debut EP ‘Night Drive’, which features ‘Ice And Arrows’ and Drive’, is released on March 28. The band are currently working with Arcade Fire producer Craig Silvey on their debut album, due out in 2011.