Deriving their name from an archaic spelling of the state of Alaska and the first name of the band’s frontwoman, Alyeska is a Los Angeles, CA-based indie rock/dream pop duo comprised of Montana-born, Los Angeles, CA-based Alaska Reid and Ben Spear. And with “Tilt A Whirl,” the first single off the duo’s soon-to-be released, John Angelo-produced debut EP Crush, the duo began to receive attention across the blogosphere for a sound that drew equally from 80s post-punk and New Wave, as it did from contemporary indie rock.
Crush‘s second and latest single “Motel State of Mind” is a moody and dramatic song that the duo’s Alaska Reid explained in an interview the Billboard wasn’t about illicit behavior, like truckers, hookers and cooking meth but an attempt to “rip off The Replacements;” however to my ears, the song sound as though the band was inspired by Concrete Blonde‘s “Joey” as Reid’s dreamy and achingly plaintive vocals are paired with a towering and enveloping shoegazer-like guitar chords, angular bass chords and dramatic drumming — but with an swooning heartache at its core.
