“I always thought it was ‘Caught Me Out’!” James laughs, and the pair start singing alternate lyrics about a guy called Eddie walking in on his cheating partner. “I thought it was about a guy having an affair, and he gets caught by his wife. But he’s also some cockney geezer, you know? ‘Cor, you caught me out!’ It would make a great karaoke song.”
“I’ve only done karaoke once,” Baker recalls, “and it was fun but I was a little too ambitious. I went with Prince, I Would Die 4 U. Great song, but karaoke?” She shakes her head sadly.
It’s invigorating conversation, and speaks volumes about not only Baker and James’ ease in interviews, but also their own friendship and the idiosyncratic banter that has become such a vital aspect of Alpine’s performance.
“It’s building a world that we don’t want to seem too disconnected or out of reach, especially once we start performing onstage,” says James. “We want people to feel as involved with it as we are. I don’t like going to a show and feeling that the stage is some barrier between me and them, you know? There’s something about crafting a show which is magical and that has the audience involved too. But it’s been hard to figure that out. You’ve got to have a strong identity for people to connect with, and I think the first time around we were a little fragmented. Things like interviews, the banter at our shows, it wasn’t really that connected. I think you definitely need to reconnect with a song in order to get that feeling of storytelling. You’re not just playing a song live, you’re bringing something to life.”
“I mean, sometimes songs do become muscle memory,” Baker considers. “When you’re on tour, doing gigs every night, you can’t expect yourself to be feeling that emotion 100 per cent across every song. Sometimes you’re just feeling something different, and it’s hard to replace that. Different songs will always connect with you more than others depending on your mood. Some nights you’re going through the motions a little, but it just means that you’re responding to different aspects in it.”
Following the rolling success of 2012 debut album A Is For Alpine, fans have endured an anxious wait for the band’s sophomore release. Yuck has already seen its lead single, Foolish, released to strong acclaim and high rotation, and the record itself is only days away. The self-assurance James speaks of has served the band well in piecing together a release that truly reflects who and where Alpine are today.
“In terms of recording it, having so much more time [was important],” she says. “I feel like being a bit older with more experience, the big difference was knowing what I’m trying to say with the lyrics, being able to write them down and being happy with them. Not many people get to do an album, let alone two, so at the end of the day it’s awesome.”
“I think with your second album there might be more pressure, but I think what will be will be,” Baker grins. “I enjoyed the process and we’re really happy with the songs.”
BY ADAM NORRIS
