With their debut single, 'Rain', released in June, Brisbane band Alaina are ready to drop their second single 'I Am Not A Freak' later this month.
The local rock band is comprised of Ryan Valley (vocals and guitar), Sam Reynolds (guitar), Dale Litster (bass) and Ty Williams (drums).
Other than a handful of demos, 'Rain' is the group's first release, leading up to their upcoming debut EP, 'Homebound'. “We've had the band out there for a while,” Dale says.
“We've played a few shows before we released the track and everyone always asks where they can listen to our music.
"We had some very bad demos that were already released, but we didn't really want to share those around and give people the wrong impression, so we've been waiting to release something that's actual quality.
“We recorded ['Rain'] in February, so it's been a long time coming. We worked on it for quite a while now. It's been sitting there, at the mark, ready to go. We've just been waiting for the right time to release it.”
The band are stoked to finally have a proper release available to the public. With 'Rain' receiving positive feedback, Alaina are eager to release their second single, 'I Am Not A Freak'. “We released 'Rain' as a catch-all track,” Dale says.
“It's the most middle-ground track on our EP. It has the wider elements of everything and a quieter section, but it also gets loud towards the middle. 'I Am Not A Freak' is just all loud, all the time. There are no breaks. It's not so much aggressive, just loud.”
“It's quite different,” adds Ryan. “'Rain' represented the heavier and lighter side of what we do, [whereas] 'I Am Not A Freak' defines the heavy side.”
'I Am Not A Freak' was a song Ryan wrote progressively over six to seven years, slowly perfecting it in the background while focusing on other projects. “Eventually, when Ty and I got together, we kind of fleshed it out and now we are at a really good place with it. We are really proud of the final product,” Ryan says.
“It came out exactly how I wanted it to come out. The people we worked with were really helpful and they pushed it to the best it could be.”
Alaina will release the new single in late August, followed by an October joint headlining Brisbane show (with Whisky Grinn) to launch the 'Homebound' EP.
The band says fans can look forward to an energetic show, a tight performance and their untamed hair. “The main point of feedback that we get is the [show's] high energy and the vocals,” Dale says.
“Ryan is a very powerful vocalist and it's hard to escape that. He doesn't need the microphone, it's just there to control him.
“And the hair. We are all quite long-haired people. We usually start the show with hair tied up and once it's released, you can't see [our] faces.”
“We have such a great reception,” continues Ryan. “From the moment we run out there and start playing the songs, we get massive reception from people.
"I think the energy of the shows makes it all worthwhile. Pretty much 100 per cent of the time, people are moshing and having a great time."
