Altona

Vancouver-area alternative/indie rock four piece Altona have been working hard on the local circuit since the release of their single “Old Trees” in 2014, and their self-titled EP (released May 25th, available on iTunes and Bandcamp as well as in physical copy on Big Smoke Records) distills that work ethic down to a forceful, ambitious quartet of songs.

The album blends dense, precise guitars, driving drums and a raw, expressive vocal style (reminiscent at times of Tokyo Police Club’s David Monks) with a lyrical eye for the authenticity and unfettered emotion of youth – as well as the imminence of its passing. Case in point: on opener “Marine,” frontman Adam Sharp asks to be taken “back to a time like two thousand and nine, when was golden and electric and glowing and I was content with not knowing.”

Altona was recorded in Vancouver’s Granville Chapel, and the location leaves its mark. There’s a close-knit, full-band-in-the-room vitality to the tracks; a sense of height and hazy space surrounds the drums and guitars washed in edge-of-breakup drive. These elements shine on “Apologia,” which starts out as a rumbling exercise that pairs toothy rhythm guitars and tight bass groove with clear, sunlit leads: the song takes off into an euphoric chorus lift that helps it stand out.

“Favourite Books” shows off rich, sweet guitar layers and bright gold cymbal washes, coming together in a blast of 90s-indebted Pacific Coast alternative rock homage, and “Sides” is a taut, rain-beaten travelogue, driven by the larger-than-life sound of deeply rolling tom fills and cracking snare. The album, mixed by Justice McLellan (himself half of Vancouver’s dreamy-anxious ambient rockers Mesa Luna) and mastered by Brock McFarlane, combines the sonic warmth and punch of hard-driven analog with the hooks and energy of the band’s pop-indebted arranging and songwriting.

Altona are taking this self-titled disc with them on a tour of BC, Saskatchewan and Alberta that extends into June. Their self-titled disc shows both the solid work they have put in to get to this point as a band, and also the potential for further development and sonic expansion down the road.

Top Tracks: “Apologia,” “Favourite Books”

Rating: Strong Hoot (Good) - Grayowl Point

Vancouver alt-pop act Altona recently told us about their debut EP, and now they've made good on their word with a stream of the whole thing.

The four-song mini-effort was produced by Matty Jeronimo at Vancouver's Granville Chapel and demonstrates the band's penchant for smooth, accessible indie rock with alternative pop tendencies.

Altona will arrive on CD and digitally on May 26 via Big Smoke. The EP can be streamed in full below, where you'll also find the band's upcoming tour dates. - Exclaim!

Vancouver indie-rockers Altona have been out exploring the wilderness. Jumping between expansive voids, tranquil scenes and sweat-filled performances, their video for ‘Favourite Books’ depicts both the natural and urban surroundings that welcomed them on their tour.

“When we left on our first tour in May of this year (a two-week jaunt across Western Canada), we already had in mind a basic vision for the type of music video we wanted to put together for ‘Favourite Books’,” guitarist Thom explains.

“Inspired by the simplicity of videos from bands we grew up watching, it really boiled down to an equation: live footage + tour footage = a vaguely nostalgic interpersonal insight into four Vancouver-based twenty-somethings on a road trip, camping and climbing and hitting stuff with other stuff.”

“We wanted the in-between times — times that nobody else would ever see otherwise — taking the spotlight. Being that this is our first music video, I think that between seeing us chop off all of Jesse’s hair in Cypress Hills and watching Mitch defile a lakeside statue in Penticton, everyone will get a pretty good introduction to the four of us and our music.”

‘Favourite Books’ is taken from the band’s self-titled EP, available now via Big Smoke. Those that sign up to the band’s mailing list will get an instant download of the EP, and a lyric book featuring photos from their time on the road (one of which can be seen at the top of this article). - Punktastic

The way a band is described by listeners, or by the media, isn’t always the way it intended to come across, but Altona is warming up to its latest label: alt-pop.

“At first I was a little scared of that, just because pop is such a bad word,” vocalist and guitarist Adam Sharp says, referring to a recent write up from Exclaim!. “I’m quite comfortable admitting that I love pop music, but for our band to be branded a pop band, I was a little nervous.”

After a little consideration, Sharp warmed to the idea and acknowledges that alt-pop hit the nail on the head in describing the Vancouver-based band’s debut self-titled EP, released on Sharp’s newly formed label Big Smoke.
“We love pop hooks; there’s no hiding from them on the EP,” he adds. “It was like a rock record with pop hooks, and I was really happy about that, and I’m happy it translated the way it was intended.”

Sharp comes from a post-rock background, which is what he and drummer Mitchell Walford bonded over in Altona’s nascent days nearly two years ago—he started the group around 2013, but it went through a complete lineup change before landing on the current roster. The other band members (Thomas Nyte on guitar and Jesse Wentzloff on bass) bring everything from jazz to punk influences to the table, and Altona brings it all together through collaborative writing.
“I’m the only kind-of continuing member, and I didn’t want it to just be me and the so and so’s,” Sharp notes. “I really wanted it to be a collaborative effort and a band, not a singer-songwriter, so I’m really stoked there’s a ton of different stuff coming to the table.”

The resulting tracks on the EP come from ideas or lyrics Sharp had written before meeting his current bandmates, as well as some that have formed since the band began working together—one of his favourites being the song “Favourite Books” for its “wall of sound-esque” guitars.

“Some of themes are quite old to me by this point, but it’s been really interesting finding new meaning in those songs as things change in my life,” notes Sharp. “I’m glad that happened because it makes them easier to perform with conviction, having that fresh connection with them. I’m also incredibly surprised that it happened—it’s like a piece of my subconscious was there in writing the whole time, and now the song is more pertinent than it maybe even was in the first place.”

Tue, Jun 2 (9 pm)
With the Sandinistas, Birds Bear Arms
Bohemia - VUE Weekly

The spring is shaping up to be a big one for esoteric Vancouver indie rock outfit Altona. Firstly, the quartet are gearing up for the release of their self-titled debut EP, and now they've gone and announced a series of Western Canadian tour dates to help support it.

The band's new EP officially lands on CD and digitally May 26 via Big Smoke, with a vinyl release expected to arrive later in the summer. The four-song effort was tracked at Vancouver's Granville Chapel with Matty Jeronimo (Reef Shark, the Ruffled Feathers).

To stir up some hype, the band have unveiled closing track, "Sides." Featuring lightly distorted guitars, a walloping beat and some wistful, travel-minded lyrics, you'll find the track down below.

A hometown show supporting the EP takes place this Friday (May 1) at Vancouver's Media Club. The band's tour, however, kicks off at the end of the month. It brings them from BC out towards the Prairies and back. You'll find the show specifics beneath the Altona's tracklisting. - Exclaim!