A fresh new group is poised to be the next breakout candidate from the indie realm. In an era that is often devoid of originality, altopalo has it in spades and has arisen to be your next obsession with their newest album, farawayfromeveryoneyouknow. The well-crafted album easily stands above the fray and illuminates a sound that isn’t quite like anything else. It’s a testament to the destiny that awaits altopalo.
Often when I hear there is an artist or group or what have you that is “so cool” or “so dope” that “you (I) have to check them out”, it’s almost, always an over-decorated 4/4 beat with an AB structure. Typically, they have the FX, distortion, and bass turned up to searing levels to copy music industry darlings Billie Eilish or Travis Scott. That’s not to take away anything from those artists and their fans, but they are excellent highlights of the copycat tendencies that exist and how simple music hides behind shiny distractions. Fortunately for us, altopalo does not follow the same script and weave together an intimate sonic experience not quite like anything out there.
The quartet that hails from New York exemplifies pure artistry with clever and inventive ideation. They concote at times a dreamy soundscape and other times they hurl sonic projectiles of aggression and sharpness that prickle the soul. It’s honest and fragile. It’s as if the group is pouring out everything from their souls and subconscious to show the vulnerability that 20-something-year-olds feel in the age of digital over-consumption and social media riddled anxieties.
Yet, there is a strength to latch upon. A feeling of “IDGAF, this is me” that takes shape and bellows from the 15-track album. A sort of middle finger to the necessity of being on social media or the “you must follow this to be a star on streaming sites”. altopalo are who they are and there’s nothing to stop them or change them. It’s beautiful to witness and I believe it’s something that we can all embrace.
I won’t dive into each individual track as I feel it is a sonic experience that listeners should derive on their own. What I will say is that they weave together a soundscape that is original and cohesive, proving that albums can still exist in the age of “singles only”. For those that listen, there is a magnificent amalgamation of sounds and corresponding feelings to explore and discover.
In today’s world, we are in need of storytellers to explain our perplexing thoughts and feelings that oscillate in our minds. We also desire to feel something to know we’re alive. It’s safe to safe, altopalo are those storytellers and farawayfromeveryoneyouknow is something we can all feel and connect to if we take the time to put down our phones and ignore the desire to swipe.
To better understand the exploration altopalo takes on farawayfromeveryoneyouknow, they had this to say:
farawayfromeveryoneyouknow is our friendly wrestling match with transitional phases, and the feelings brought by being in-between them — it’s the kind of wrestling you might instigate with a sibling who’s hogging the only xbox controller when you’re supposed to be taking turns playing Halo. Some questions we wrestle with include: “how long is life?” “can I really sleep in prospect park?” “can I write a love song to my medication?” “is that tank I stole actually a real tank or am i hallucinating from recent emotional traumas?” and “what advice will my dad provide about my insomnia problem?” anyways, as a band, don’t emerge all that unscathed from these so-called “friendly” wrestling matches with our circumstances: we fight with one another, we cry together, we play countless, brutal, endless hours of settlers of catan, we get mauled by clouds of mosquitoes, and most importantly we hug and “woo” about all of it. growing brings us all both the hurting that hurts the most, and also the joy and beauty that is more joyful than we ever thought was possible to feel.
