The Alts Hailing from the shores of Liverpool, UK, and formed in 2018, The Alts are a creative indie rock band with a unique sound. Having released their debut Album, ‘Smokey Woods’ in July 2022, The Alts have gone on to build their reputation as a must-see band in their home city, signing a deal with Big Condo Records in March 2024.
The Alts are currently working on their next album/EP, with their banger ‘Let Me In’ now available to stream on all major platforms and their long awaited single ‘Fortune Teller’ due to be released on the 10th of May 2024.
The band recently featured on ‘Liverpool Community Podcast and Islington Radio in London. they have recently been featured on the Big Condo Records Uk tour and events like Bandzilla and they are set to deliver an amazing performance at the Big Condo Records Weekender festival.
The new single Fortune Teller, tells a thousand tales, and the single is set to be the debut release on the 10th May 2024 via spotifiy and apple music.
The band consists of Ronnie Musker – Vocals/Rhythm Guitar, David Wong – Lead Guitar, Stephen Williams – Back Vocals/Bass and Dominic Levey – Drums/Keys.
The fortune Teller Launch party is at Round The Corner In Liverpool on the 10th May and tickets are available on skiddle. We cant wait to see what the alts do this year as they have re loaded another single already.
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Join us as we dive deeper into the world of The Alts in this exclusive interview.
Can you tell us about the inspiration behind your upcoming single “Fortune Teller”?
I had the Melody first, it has always been about the Melody for me. The lyrics are themed around a relationship that has gone wrong, and is hard to salvage. Hence the line: “I dig myself a hole and hide deep in it” (Ronnie-The Alts)
How does “Fortune Teller” differ from your previous releases in terms of sound and lyrical themes?
In terms of sound, I’d say musically it’s a little bit more main stream and softer sounding than some of our other tunes, but I wouldn’t class it as a pop song. The main guitar riff is a gritty sounding delay line in a 7/4 time signature (for those music boffins out there!) which is slightly unusual, but its also got loads of ‘sing along’ melodies and catchy hooks, which is why I think a lot of people like it.
In terms of the lyrics, its about that feeling of guilt after letting someone down who’s important to you. We’ve all done that at some point, whether it be in a relationship or with one of your mates, so I think a lot of people can relate to it. (Wongy The Alts)
What was the creative process like for producing “Fortune Teller”?
A lot of our practices we record on our phones and we listen back religiously. Slowly the final product comes together; like building blocks. We’re lucky enough to be able to record in a great studio like “Motormuseum” with Liverpool producer Ben Harper who is able to get our sound captured on record.
We were just sitting around in the rehearsal room chatting about random things as we do, and I was noodling around with some chords, playing a bit of fingerstyle on an acoustic guitar. I remember Ste saying “You should do more of that” and Ronnie saying it reminded him of something he’d been working on at home. We started playing around with that idea, Ronnie changed the rhythm up slightly and that ended up being the main riff for the verses of the song.
It didn’t take Ste and Dom long to come up with parts that complimented the riff and Ronnie took it away after rehearsal to write lyrics over and come up with a chorus. Over the next couple of rehearsals we experimented with ideas, melodies and dynamics to make the song feel like it was building to something big at the end.
That’s what tends to happen with a lot of our tunes to be fair. We’ll start off with an idea which is pretty raw. It could be a guitar riff, vocal idea, bass line, drum part etc… and then we jam them out and see what we end up with. Fortune Teller seemed to just naturally fall into place quite quick though which is usually the sign of a good song. (Wongy)
How do you feel about being signed to Big Condo Records, and how has this impacted your music career?
I think Bigcondo puts the music at the forefront, but also helps us with the social media side of things, and getting our individual personalities across. We’re excited to see what the future brings with our partnership (Dom The Alts)
You’ve mentioned that “Fortune Teller” tells a thousand tales. Could you elaborate on some of the themes or stories explored in the song?
All relationships are mystical, and thats why I thought a “Fortune Teller” would be an ideal candidate for the roll to play in the story of the song. Theres hidden meanings also in the song but we’l leave that to the listener to decipher (Ronnie)
What can fans expect from your upcoming album/EP, and how does “Fortune Teller” fit into the overall narrative or vibe?
As an Indie Band we’re not afraid to go quite heavy so there will some heavy tracks on the EP. With “Fortune Teller” we show our melodic and ambient side. It’s got alot more layers on it, it’s not just Guitar, Bass, and Drums, it’s got Piano, Organs, and it reaches a nice big crescendo at the end (Ste)
How has your hometown of Liverpool influenced your music and songwriting?
A lot to be honest especially the likes of “The La’s” “The Real People” “Cast” and obviously “The Beatles”. Lyrically the Liverpool wit is within the lyrics as they’re short, to the point, and direct. Our name is actually named after “The River Alt” which is a River that runs through Liverpool, so our hometown of Liverpool influenced us alot (Ronnie)
Could you share any memorable experiences from your recent appearances on Liverpool Community Podcast, Islington Radio, and the Big Condo Records UK tour?
It’s been great meeting Chase and all the artists on the Big Condo roster. It was our first time doing an on camera interview, so that was abit of a learning curve. Islington Radio was amazing speaking to Roy and getting played on the Radio in London. Also we’ve met some amazing and exciting artists from different parts of the country. (Ste)
With the launch party for “Fortune Teller” approaching, what are your expectations for the event, and what do you hope fans will take away from the experience?
We’ve had the event it was a sell out in our hometown so that was extra special. It was amazing with some great Bands and Artists from the Big Condo Roster playing sets. We hope that all our fans had a great night, and will come and watch us again on the 7th June on the Big Condo Weekender (Dom)
Looking ahead, what are your goals and aspirations as a band for the rest of 2024 and beyond?
Do more Gigs, record more music, just try to be as successful as possible. Shine a light on our amazingly musical city, and be proud of being from Liverpool, and what the city stands for, and try and represent that as best as we can (Wongy)
Where can readers find you online ?
You can find us on all the usual platforms @thealtsmusic (Ronnie)
