We Speak Music
Dive into “La vague” by alster
If you thought melancholic rock wasn’t your thing, “La vague” (the wave) by alster might just change your mind. This first track from his debut EP ,’tout raté’, set for release in March 2025, is an intense and cathartic dive into the soul of an artist who transforms his wounds into music.
Before becoming a musician, alster was an emergency doctor. A life filled with intensity, adrenaline, but also doubts and fractures. Music became his outlet, giving birth to a pop-rock universe tinged with vulnerability. Inspired by Maroon 5, Gavin DeGraw, and Billie Eilish, he crafts a sound identity that oscillates between softness and tension, much like the sea that inspires this first single.
From the first notes, “La vague” sweeps us into an ocean of self-doubt and solitude. The track brilliantly illustrates that floating moment where one questions their existence and whether they truly matter to others. The wave metaphor is omnipresent: they soothe, they engulf, they pull you under, but they also carry the hope of renewal.
Sonically, alster masters the art of contrast. Delicate melodies clash with striking build-ups, creating a dynamic that recalls the best productions of the 2000s. A treat for those who, like me, feel a tinge of nostalgia for that musical era.
Whether you’re a rock fan or not, alster’s sincerity will not leave you indifferent. It’s a heartfelt cry, a raw confession that resonates with our own doubts and vulnerabilities. And above all, it’s a promise: that his upcoming EP will be moving, authentic, and powerful.
So, are you ready to be swept away by “La vague”?
In “You Never Do Shit,” Brooklyn’s Dead Tooth deliver a snarling, urgent post-punk single that distills their barbed energy into under four minutes of sharp-tongued wit and scuffed-up sonics. It’s a track that bristles with disdain—Zach Ellis’ vocal delivery is acidic, at times theatrical, and often more spoken than sung. There’s a punk rock immediacy here, but with the knowing wink of someone who’s watched the scene curdle and still wants to dance through the ashes.
The song began its life in a different medium—written for a fictional band on City on Fire—but the real-life iteration carries more weight. There’s a palpable satisfaction in Ellis’ decision to reclaim it, and that freedom seeps into every detail: the unkempt rhythm section, the jarring saxophone lines from John Stanesco, and the deliberate looseness that characterizes its structure.
Dead Tooth are at once participants and commentators in the culture they inhabit. Their songs are alive with noise, but also with intent—tracking the psychic hangover of nightlife, subcultural collapse, and underground scenes that burn bright and disappear too soon. Ellis’ lyrical observations land like tossed-off critiques, but underneath the smirk is something deeper, almost desperate: a desire for connection, even through chaos.
With their debut album looming, “You Never Do Shit” feels like a thesis statement. Not just of sound, but of ethos: reject slickness, embrace noise, tell the truth—even if it’s ugly. In a year when punk has mostly whispered or wandered, Dead Tooth has chosen to scream.
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