It was a big 2024 for sibling duo ALT BLK ERA that started with a steady stream of supporting slots for the likes of Tom Morello, then spending the summer on the festival circuit including Reading & Leeds and Download, and finally gearing up for the release of their debut album 'Rave Immortal' at the end of this month. After pouring through their first full-length project, we sat down with Nyrobi and Chaya to talk about evolutions in sound, working with Wheatus and where the progression of their sound heading into album one.
The ALT BLK ERA sound is notoriously hard to pin: 'Rave Immortal' is a mix of heavy guitar melodies and drum and bass elements, mixed with new-wave reminiscent goth beats, and rap, singing and screaming. The evolution of this sound can be heard when progressing from their EPs to this debut effort: they muse that the evolution of their sound is linked to the evolution of their tastes. This is true for Cheya in particular, who began this project as a young teen at the point where she would be exploring her music tastes fully for the first time - from the goth of the first EP that manifested into alt-pop to the metal influences present in 'Rave Immortal'.
The pair describe the album as more mature and refined - "We know what we’re doing now" says Chaya, even with the caveat of not knowing if they'll put this album into the ‘experimental’ camp that includes their earlier output by album two or three. "It's a concept album, which starts with 'Upstairs Neighbours'. I get about an hour around when my meds kick in..." where Nyrobi then explains the narrative of those neighbours running them out the house. The elder of the duo’s health problems are a prominent theme in 'Rave Immortal', with the first act of the album featuring moving synth ballads including 'Straight To Heart' and 'Come On Outside', detailing the heavy weight that Nyrobi’s health issues impose on her and her sister, who supports her struggle.
The race from her neighbours in 'Run Rabbit', then, could be the power that she feels when she is able to perform and put energy into her naturally big personality. Some of the key components of the foundation of ALT BLK ERA are The Prodigy and the pairs' mum, who introduced them to the former and pushed the siblings over lockdown into making and promoting their own music. Nyrobi tells me they were watching bands perform on YouTube and "couldn't find anyone who let themselves go on stage" when mum suggested the 90s rave-rock outfit, laughing her off at first before looking them up and getting hooked. They love the "freedom" and revealed that they watch a little clip of them performing before going on stage because that's how they want to act. "I still feel like we’re learning from them": it can be heard in the thrash dance tracks such as Run Rabbit or Upstairs neighbours embody that push for freedom.
As for mum, her role in the band is creative, business, and practical all in one. She acted as chauffeur and chaperone when they first started gigging, taking them to bars for shows. They’d get to these bars and the owners would discover that Chaya was underage: "they’d be like you can’t be here... we’re like - you booked us!" Mum was also ‘proofreader’ during the writing and recording process, reminding Nyrobi to pronounce the Bs in rabbit she was missing when they were recording 'Run Rabbit'. She’s also their co-manager, leaving the admin side in good hands while the duo do what they do best - grow. The growth of ALT BLK ERA was pretty quick, driven by their TikTok strategy to promote music released in the height of the pandemic. Again suggested by mum and again fought back on as "It was a dance thing…I’m not dancing" Nyrobi tells us, but once the app expanded its scope they gave it a try, to great success.
They’ve built a community from their social media presence - so much so that "Everyone we know now is through music and online". They’ve built their community from the ground up, having not been involved in the heavy scene as listeners before joining as artists. They reminisce on their first gigs being a "sea of middle aged men" and that their debuts at festivals such as Glastonbury and Download were also their first time attending, but between the first regular attendees to their gigs and their online presence they found people they trust and fans that are "[their] kind of person".
The future for ALT BLK ERA looks even bigger: they recently released a collaboration with rock legends Wheatus, which came about in the Download press room when they noticed a follow from the band on twitter. They texted a thank you, then got the courage to send them the finished demo of 'My Drummer’s Girlfriend' and had a “throw your phone on the bed once you’ve sent the text” moment in the form of asking them to hop onto the track. Cut to two days of recording at Spotify studios in London and the two can’t help but pour love and respect onto their name. "They just got better and better" says Nyrobi, on being in the studio for those two days - "So giving, so caring, so not selfish".
Telling us how they celebrated 100k monthly streams on Spotify with them with absolute earnest, regardless of the numbers Wheatus pull, and that the experience drips from them when they’re in the studio; "you can tell they’re professionals…[they]made me want to be a better singer", 'Rave Immortal' is an eclectic, fast paced project, playing with concepts of breaking free and embracing the loudest parts of yourself thoughtfully over genre-bending beats with a drum and bass flavour. There are tracks for everyone on this album: from the indie rock of 'My Drummer’s Girlfriend' and gothic influences on 'Hunt You Down' or 'Catch Me If You Can' to the thrashy rave style tracks such as 'Upstairs Neighbours' or title track 'Rave Immortal'.
To see the album in person, you can catch ALT BLK ERA on their in-store tour starting on the 24th in Bristol, or in April for their full tour from the 15th. Alternatively, you can catch their album release party January 25th at Nottingham Saltbox or January 30th at Kingston PRYZM.
'Rave Immortal' will be released on January 24th via Earache Records.
Words: Julia Brunton
Photos: Dean Chalkley
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