Alice Merton’s debut album ‘MINT’ saw the London-based musician achieve phenomenal success. A fixture on Top 10 charts across Europe, Alice has accumulated 1 billion streams and was the winning judge of the German edition of The Voice. Now Alice is set for wider international recognition as she prepares to release her eagerly anticipated sophomore album ‘S.I.D.E.S.’ on June 17th via her own Paper Plane Records Int. label. The album is launched with its single ‘Same Team’ as well as the track’s accompanying video.
Initially, ‘Same Team’ seems grounded within the alt-pop roots which Alice forged her reputation with. Although a pop core propels its immediate addictiveness, it’s wrapped within more subversive layers: a jolting, electro-meets-industrial explosion of energy, an ominous, brooding ambience that complements its existential issues. The contrast is that its jolting dynamics feel so uplifting for a song that comes from a deep sense of introspection.
Alice says, “‘Same Team’ is one of the first songs I wrote for the album. I had been going through a lot of personal and work-related conflicts. I felt like I had been pulled into worlds that I didn’t understand, and having conversations with people in which we just didn’t speak the same language. A team goes through ups and downs, but often pulls together to become even stronger – but in some cases it does the exact opposite. I started to question: what do I do if that team makes me doubt myself and the decisions that we make?”
‘Same Team’ was written and produced by Alice alongside Jens Schneider, Jules Kalmbacher and Tim Uhlenbrock, with mixing by Matty Green (Dua Lipa, Royal Blood, Weezer).
The official video for ‘Same Team’ provides both an inventive visual metaphor and a subtle twist upon the song’s concept. Alice escapes to a remote cabin located deep within the mountains, isolated from society, leaving the past behind her. When she ventures into the surrounding woodland she’s persuaded by a mysterious masked figure, perhaps someone from her past. The pulsating tension comes to a head with a surprising final showdown.
As also indicated by its recent tracks ‘Vertigo’, ‘Hero’ and ‘Island’, the S.I.D.E.S. album is a bold evolution from the style Alice presented on the ‘MINT’ album. Sonically it’s darker, drawing on angsty modern pop, alt-rock and other more abrasive sounds, while its themes are deeper and more introspective but with an undercurrent of hope. There’s no mistaking the power of Alice’s voice, but now there’s undoubtedly a heightened passion and attitude to her superlative delivery.
Alice co-produced and co-wrote all fifteen songs that feature on the album. Other high profile collaborators include Koz (Dua Lipa), Jonny Coffer (Beyoncé, Ellie Goulding) and Jennifer Decilveo (Anne-Marie, Andra Day).
Alice Merton adds, “The last two years have been challenging for everyone in some way or another. Friends and family were lost, restrictions were enforced for the first time since I’ve been alive,and mental strength had been tested to its limit. ‘S.I.D.E.S.’ tells my story of how I experienced these past years. It’s a summary of the ups and many downs, the psychological challenges I faced, and somehow realizing that there will always be another side to the story – the question is just how and when do you get there.”
Expect Alice Merton to share more sides to her story by sharing further singles ahead of the album’s release.
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