Former members of LA's well-regarded indie pop act Mezzanine Owls, Pauline Mu and Jonathan Zeitlin started up the two-piece Alpine Decline early this year and recently self-released a self-titled debut album.
We spoke with the two about how the band first began, what's happening here in the present, and what their future plans are (which include finishing another album soon).
How did Alpine Decline come together?
We were completely absent from any kind of music scene for about a year and a half. It was a strange time. We started imagining Alpine Decline as a band and working out what we wanted it to be. We wanted each record to feel complete, like a short story, with a particular vibe and energy. We talked about being engaged in the act of making records all the time - two or three a year instead of every two or three years.
We were listening to Les Rallizes Denudes to the point of obsession, which fed directly into our live sound. We bought a lot of tape machines so everything would be printed on something concrete, sort of captured and released, and have the quality of something discovered.
What the story behind the album?
We made the first record with Dan Horne at Lone Palm in Echo Park over a few weeks in the spring. We traveled and played some shows in China, which sharpened our sense of who we were as a band.
Do you mean to continue as a two-piece?
As a two-piece, we put up a full sound, but there is something raw, a high level of tension trying to build that tower and keep it erect by ourselves. You don't have the edges smoothed over - there's a real effort to sustain the attack and real excitement that it might not stay together.
What shows do you have coming up?
We're playing an in-store at Origami Records in Echo Park at the end of the month and are currently booking shows for September.
What's next for you?
Our next record should be finished soon.
Last question: What are you listening to these days?
We've been listening to a ton of Robedoor lately. They don't really have a direct influence on our sound, but they make us feel like you can walk into a show and have a legit hair-raising experience seeing a band, your capacity to pass judgement totally wrecked. We hope people seeing us live will the have the same kind of experience.
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