A new voice in Perth's indie pop, alt-folk scene, with just two singles to her name, ALEIA's ability to mine emotional heartache and condense it into tear-streaked beacons of hope is showcased by her next single, 'Public Humiliation'.
It's an expose of modern love, the ache of almosts, and the quiet humiliation of wanting too much in a world that gives too little.
An earthy, unembellished strummed acoustic guitar offers a folk-rock simplicity that nourishes, while ALEIA's stirring, husky vocals ache with an honesty that feels visceral, the lyrics painting a vivid picture of indignity associated with the casual dating pool.
A noodling electric guitar heightens the emotional emphasis, joined by dusty, shimmery drumming soaking the song in all the feels as ALEIA sings about finding the one in today's modern world being an 'endurance test'.
The second half the song begins with a power-pop sensibility, hazy indietronica wafting across the senses before retreating to alt pop-rock tones, the quiet-loud push and pull of the song replicating the feelings one endures within situationships – "you are the backboard; I am going to rebound," – or worse, being ghosted.
"I wrote 'Public Humiliation' after getting out of a long-term relationship," shares ALEIA. "I was experiencing the sudden whiplash of being thrust into the casual dating scene.
"I wanted to be wanted by anyone, and this desperation led to a lot of horror stories. Dating felt like an embarrassing humiliation ritual full of ghosting, situationships or short-term flings."
Ahead of the song's release tomorrow (3 October), today scenestr is delighted to premiere 'Public Humiliation'. Enjoy.
"The writing of 'Public Humiliation' was very therapeutic and coincided with most of my close friends also becoming freshly single," adds ALEIA. "I started to channel every one of our embarrassing and disappointing experiences into the song. It's more than just one bad date; it's a collection of people I love all hating modern dating!"
Recorded and produced with Dylan Ollivierre (The Money War, Joan & The Giants, Siobhan Cotchin), ALEIA's method to inhabit her previous mindset was as simple as returning to an old bottle of perform.
"The recording process for this song fell into place very easily," she says. "I worked with Dylan Ollivierre on the track, and I love his approach to recording. It can be hard to record an emotional song in the studio.
"On the day of my vocals, however, I decided to spray a perfume I used to wear when I was dating my ex. It was the fastest I have ever put down the vocals. It's funny to think that whenever I need to be in the right mindset, I can just put on my old, cheap teenage fragrance."
