Listen to the first track to surface from Parlour Tricks, titled “All Dolled Up”, now on AltPress.com.
The sophomore full-length from Alcoa, Parlour Tricks, arrives upon a very new and invigorating chapter in Derek Archambault’s life. The singer and guitarist, who also fronts the rising hardcore/punk band Defeater, has had an intense time since Alcoa’s 2013 debut Bone & Marrow; he got married, for one thing; for another, he had major surgery with a hip replacement after a debilitating injury. After a successful campaign on crowd-funding site PledgeMusic (resulting in the recently released covers EP, Thank You), he had the imminent surgery, got back on his feet, and immediately began working on new music with both Defeater and his alt-rock/country-leaning Alcoa. Recording near his home, in Portsmouth, NH, provided a warm and familiar environment with bandmate and engineer Mike Moschetto, etching out a slightly twangy and honest sound with shades of wistful, jangly 90’s alternative rock acts.
Originally started as a solo/side project, Alcoa formed just over 10 years ago when Archambault was on the road with one of his bands and wanted to do something a little different. The Alcoa project had remained on the backburner until 2013 when Archambault teamed up with a troop of musicians (including his now wife, Alyssa Archambault) and recorded and released their debut LP Bone & Marrow to great critical acclaim. Since its release, Alcoa has shared the stage in various forms along the East Coast with an array of bands. Alcoa spent the greater part of this year penning what would become their newest endeavor, Parlour Tricks, which is scheduled for release on February 24th via Bridge Nine Records.
