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Alcoa, the solo project of Derek Archambault of Defeater, is gearing up for the release of Bone & Marrow on February 26th. In anticipation of the release, Diffuser.fm has premiered the first single off of the record, “Keep Track / Lose Track”, today – check it out here.
Alcoa started ten years ago while Derek Archambault was on tour with one of his many bands at the time. He’d found himself listening to more and more artists like Gram Parsons, Elliot Smith, and Johnny Cash and “…wanted so badly to be able to write songs like that. I didn’t know how to at all, but it didn’t stop me from trying and churning out a bunch of shitty songs that I was too afraid to sing. One day, while driving through Alcoa, TN, I decided on the name and started the process of figuring out how to not write a loud punk or four-chord jangly pop song”, Derek commented. He honed his writing skills, released a few demo recordings as Alcoa, then the project took the backseat to his other musical endeavors. Over the course of the next few years, Derek played various instruments in various bands before landing the role as vocalist for an up-and-coming band from Boston called Defeater. Since their inception in 2008, Defeater has been the main priority for Derek; the band has toured the U.S. and Europe several times over and have released three albums on indie powerhouse Bridge Nine Records. In 2011, Defeater released their landmark double LP Empty Days & Sleepless Nights, which features one album of punk/hardcore anthems, and another album that’s a 4-song acoustic effort that put a lot of emphasis on Derek’s actual singing ability. Derek went on to say, “Defeater had done an acoustic track on our first full-length, Travels, that was received really well by fans. Singing that song almost every night for two years, then releasing the acoustic album on Empty Days, definitely made me much more comfortable with my voice.” These things, coupled with inspiration to write and desire to record, gave Derek the confidence he needed to pursue Alcoa as a more serious undertaking.
Bone & Marrow was recorded in mid-2012, first in Derek’s hometown of Portsmouth, NH, then at Mike Moschetto’s The Office Recording (N. Andover, MA) and at Jay Maas’ Getaway Recording Studio (for vocal tracks and mastering). This debut album will feature eleven pop/country-tinged songs about life, love and regret. Also prevalent on the album is the addition of instrumentation like upright bass, banjo, fiddle, pedal steel, piano/organ, and charming guy/girl dueling vocals (featuring Archambault’s fiance Alyssa Eygnor), making it Alcoa’s most complete and mature effort to date.
Pre-order information coming very soon from Bridge9.com.
ALCOA – ON TOUR
January 25 -Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair w/ La Dispute, The Menzingers