In the Limelight: The Aggie explores alt-rock x punk
The cusp of alt-rock and punk is a soundscape that more and more people are beginning to explore, with their similar themes of independence and gritty guitar tones. I have my eye on three local bands in a lineup to play at the Aggie on February 24th, as all three of these bands are producing songs that capture your attention. INTHEWHALE promises an experience with their new music at their album release show, their newer releases leaning into a refined hardcore sound sure to rile up any crowd. The openers, Señorita Sometimes and Soviet Mothers are two Fort Collins bands that are more garage rock and alt-rock but the passion and crunch in their sound complement each other wonderfully.
Date: Feb 24th
Time: 8 pm
Venue: Aggie Theatre
Ticket Price: $18 – $20
18+
INTHEWHALE
“We are a duo, which is not as uncommon as people think. We employ a mold of many different genres and have an explosive passionate live show.”
“Overall we really just love making our art and want to share that art on as big a platform as possible.”
Started as a side project, INTHEWHALE, made up of Nate Valdez and Eric Riley, has been playing music together for over a decade. Their outlook on their music is that they simply play the music that they would want to hear. The deep, bouncy bass in “Cavity/Woman” is delightfully chewy, with the intro screams immediately setting the scene for the rest of the album. I was surprised by the length of some of the songs, with one of them coming in around 6 minutes. A common theme in hardcore albums I am seeing is some shorter song lengths with punchy moments, and I enjoyed the length of their songs. They have this DIY moment in the middle of the song with an amp’s feedback and some background chatter and the following bass felt very reminiscent of standing in a house show, the vibrations of a band around you. It was an impressive capture of sound and experience.
As I spoke with the band about their music, they were flying to England for their tour, a huge goal they achieved, and I was impressed to hear that they were also at the last Warped Tour. They brought up Deftones, Helmet, and Quicksand as influences of theirs, and I can definitely hear that Deftones influence.
They pack some serious punch for a two-piece, the combination of both of their vocals adds some thickness to the sound, and they explore more because of it. The vocals in “Highways” have this gorgeous indie drone to them, dissolving into a syrupy melody around 2 minutes in. It’s a softer moment in the album that exposes its throat with sincerity and the resulting music is grungy and captivating.
Señorita Sometimes
“We are a loud, garage rock band that writes honest music that often focuses on the injustices of the world.”
Packed full of lots of 90s alt-rock influence and early angry girl indie vibes, the synthy bass heard in “Wishing Wells” is their nice twist on the typical sounds we would hear from alt-rock bands. It’s throaty and classic, that consistent guitar melody pushing you through the song but the cymbals and synth add this level of shimmer that makes it even more interesting to listen to. I can imagine the lead vocalist singing No Doubt’s discography very well. The Offspring influence jumps out in moments, possibly from the playful lilt to her voice or the crumbly guitar tone.
Señorita Sometimes is a local band, playing in the Fort Collins scene since 2015. Made up of Stacy Sevelin (lead vocalist and guitarist), Bobby Wessner (guitarist), Justin Maul (guitarist and vocals), Chad Alley (bassist), and Jason Nunn (drummer). They are also the official No Doubt tribute band of Fort Collins (No Doubt About It). They started off titling themselves as alt-rock/grunge, but now lean more into some garage rock influence. Their main goals for the upcoming year include finishing recording their second album and breaking out more into the Denver music scene.
“A soon-to-be defining moment will be opening up for INTHEWHALE’s album release show at The Aggie on Feb 24th!”
Soviet Mothers
Soviet Mothers combines different elements of alt-rock and garage rock to create some stellar songs. Their song “Holy Undead” is packed full of crispy reverb and deep bass tones. The intro makes it feel fleshed out and wide, showing off some of their desert rock influences. It stays fairly insistent and quick throughout the song, the drummer lingering on the high hat adds a sense of urgency to it. It’s a mouthful of alt-rock, reminding me of Queens of the Stone Age as it lingers towards grungier sounds. “Lover Lover”, released in May 2023, lingers softer as it pulls from more dreamy sounds in the melodies. It feels like a slow rolling raindrop on a car window, just lit up by the neon lights around it. It has a hopeful darkness in both its sound and its vocals. The most recent, “Rat Bastards” is my favorite in its intro guitar riff leaning towards ‘petal to the metal’ classic rock themes, with this symbiotic fuzz added through the echoing vocals and guitar tone.
“It’s basically like, if you like alt-rock, you’ll like it.”
“I like controlled chaos, so I want people to be able to enjoy the experience and feel the dynamics of what’s going on.”
The songs were released as singles instead of as an E.P. to allow them room to stretch out and get comfortable, be recognized, and be appreciated for their excellence by themselves. However, I can hear a common thread of growth throughout all three songs that promise a new direction for the band. The fuzz of their songs can only be amplified live, the setting the band promises is best to hear them through.
“Our live show is ideally where we excel, I’m proud of how we perform.”
