AlphaLine are a dynamic four-piece UK band from Berkshire/Surrey who are increasingly appearing at prog-adjacent events and festivals. As a result, it now seems an appropriate time to revisit their 2024 debut album, Electromagnetic, and highlight their engaging and eclectic style to a more progressive rock audience.
Musically, the band blend a surprisingly wide range of musical styles within their sound, along with thought-provoking lyrics. There are elements of alternative and indie rock and pop throughout, but these are mingled with touches of psychedelia, ambient electronica, jazz, funk and atmospheric, groove-driven trip hop. To my ears I also hear instrumental echoes of late 70s and early 80s new wave bands such The Cure and Joy Division. Whilst not prog in the traditional sense, its spirit runs through Electromagnetic and informs much of the musical structure around which the accessible and infectious songs intertwine.
Caroline (Caz) Yardley has a lovely, ethereal quality to her vocals and can conjure up an array of emotions and moods. Instrumentally, Stuart Crawford-Browne creates some pleasing guitar lines, with melodic arpeggios and hypnotic chord structures, along with supporting keyboard flourishes where necessary. Anne Emmerson supplies deceptively simple, but effective bass guitar pattern that propel most tracks, with Joshua Rose providing the rhythmic foundations on drums. The band are very much a multi-national one, with driving force, Anne, from France, and Stuart hailing from South Africa. Several of them were also involved with Carola Baer and Dave Salsbury of Ruby Dawn and share some of their sonic elements in the music.
The 12 tracks show a refreshing diversity, although within a discernible signature style (an instrumental version of White Fire and a ‘DJ12inch’ remix of What U Gonna Do are additional bonus tracks bringing things up to a round dozen).
The album starts with the pandemic-inspired Flatlining, with its hypnotic electronica and slow bass and drum rhythm, and sombre, atmospheric and moody vocals from Caz. It was a wonderfully claustrophobic ambience that takes you into a hospital room full of heart monitors and ventilators. Kind As Strangers takes you on a lively and wild, neon-lit night out in town and all those interactions with strangers. Twinkling, repeating keyboard lines and a nicely strummed guitar-led trot, with a melodic and breezy lightness of touch with Caz’s vocals, and some refreshing and accessible, indie-sounding guitar soloing from Stuart later on.
The indie vibe continues with Billy and the Infinite Madness, with a chirpy, swaying, sun-soaked Ibiza-feel and some deliciously distorted guitar and soaring soloing midway. Billy is apparently Caz’s husband. There is a more contemplative, melancholic ambience to Samuel. The repeating electric guitar accompanies a bittersweet reflection on long-term love paired with unrequited temptation in Caz’s dreamy vocals. White Fire is the album highlight for me, with its trippy, mystical, Eastern-tinged with its hypnotic guitar scales and siren-like vocals, as bass and drums flow atmospherically throughout. Inspired by journeys along the Silk Road and harsh and difficult terrain.
The feel is maintained on Dual, a moody examination of the tug-of-war between light and dark, love and hate and hope and fear, that ebbs and flows in intensity, with real sonic power displayed through to the end. Release has a haunting, dreamy character, with retro guitar and mesmeric bass, as the vocals suggest a sonic cleansing and decluttering release. The band have a knack of taking simple, repeating musical structures and building on them to create a trance-like groove. What U Gonna Do, has a defiant, strutting attitude, with an undulating, twisting rhythm and anthematic, questioning vocal refrain. The bass has a funky edge, and a psych-like feel is enhanced by touches of almost Floydian guitar patterns. It has a real swagger to it all.
Paper Cups has more of wistful nature. Written after a crushing financial betrayal, the paper cups are a symbol of poverty, pills and perseverance – it has a late night latino-like beat and a brooding and defiant, torch-like character. Finally, Deluded, ends proceedings in powerful fashion, with an unyielding anthem and rallying cry challenging abuse in high places (very appropriate at present). A dark and disturbing sonic soundscape with a new wave angst delivered by Caz’s insistent vocals over the guitar and keyboards.
Electromagnetic is an immersive and innovative voyage through cosmic contrasts such as light, shadow, rebellion, introspection and survival. Less overtly prog, but the melting pot of psychedelic and trip-hop heat, indie, new wave and alternative rock, funk and trance spin a hypnotic and atmospheric web of progressive echoes from deceptively simple musical structures. Produced by AlphaLine and Aaron Cilia (currently playing drums live for them), and mastered at Spriggan Productions in Berkshire, the album is a fine introduction to this genre-crossing band, should you get to see them at prog and rock events and festivals in the months to come. Their merging of retro musical components into a vibrant, contemporary construction is to be applauded and I wish them success in reaching a wide musical audience beyond the prog community.
TRACK LISTING
01. Flatlining (4:30)
02. Kind As Strangers (5:38)
03. Billy and the Infinite Madness (5:26)
04. Samuel (4:22)
05. White Fire (4:12)
06. Dual (4:56)
07. Release (4:12)
08. What U Gonna Do (6:29)
09. Paper Cups (4:01)
10. Deluded (3:42)
11. White Fire (Instrumental) (4:12)
12. What U Gonna Do (DJ12inch remix) (5:23)
Total Time – 57:03
MUSICIANS
Anne Emmerson – Bass
Caz Yardley – Vocals
Stuart Crawford-Browne – Guitar, Keyboards
Joshua Rose – Drums
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Independent
Country of Origin: UK
Date of Release: 11th July 2024
LINKS
AlphaLine – Website | Facebook | YouTube | X | Instagram
