ALASKALASKA rose up in parallel with both the South London jazz scene and the post-punk movement of Brixton Windmill, but they’re happy to better know themselves as friends of these movements without committing to any one label. Influences shine through both in a fluid exploration of genre and a tender, always focused lyricism. It’s the methods of Björk, Fever Ray, LCD Soundsystem and Arthur Russell, and the contemporary melodies of Metronomy and Porches that excite them.

What matters most for ALASKALASKA is painting a sonic picture, making music that’s visceral. Something you can feel on your skin. The buzz of a bass. The shiver of a synth. Duarte-Holman describes the writing process as trying to musically realise a visual concept, such as the warm ultrasonic throbbing synth patterns in ‘Growing Up Pains’ to depict sounds inside a womb. “I describe a sound which may not be very obvious to anyone else, but luckily Fraser understands my language… then once a song is out in the world it can be whatever the audience takes it to be.”

Where their first full length outing was a maximalist pop record, this sophomore release was more about removing the unnecessary and freeing oneself from stereotypical pop constructs. Keeping a fondness for their traditionally radio-friendly earlier tracks made with a live band, Rieley describes, “’Still Life’ is big at times, but stays unconventional and very satisfying to me… we steered away slightly from anything too big or catchy.” Following the album’s release, Rieley and Duarte-Holman plan to tap into their new interests and musical flexibility with their live shows: arranging the album with their full band, or an even larger formation, or perhaps playing more minimally together as a pair. Whatever the setup on stage, this new album finds ALASKALASKA in their most dynamic, boundless era yet. Primed to take ‘Still Life’ beyond the studio; excited to share it with the world.