Interview: Alpha Rabbit take love to space

Alpha Rabbit‘s “Temperatures” evolved over eight very long years. From its emotive, plaintive lyrics to the way it features a soft jingle in production, the low-key rocker began with “a pretty silly ‘Star Wars’ reference about Luke Skywalker sleeping inside a Tauntaun,” admits band member Jaime Parker. But then life threw her several curveballs – “I had to go through some rough experiences, lose some people, find some people, and have some realizations about myself,” she says – before she could even pin down what she needed to say.

“When Jaime came up with the song again a few years on, we were gelled together as musicians and songwriters, thus better equipped to serve the song,” chimes in player Dim. “Jaime’s opening lyrics were inspiring to me, to the point where I wrote the second verse almost as a dialogue between two people, whereas it was written as first person originally.”

With its crystalline echo and bright instruments twinkling behind Jaime’s voice, there arises a song that initally had a “spacey and icey” tone, as Jaime puts it. “The more we worked together as a band and learned to trust each other, the more we were able to chip away to uncover the song – almost like carving a stone. Jake’s ‘wall of sound’ influence and Dim’s brilliance when it comes to hooks and arrangements definitely breathed rock and roll into it.”

According to musician Jake Foy, the original demo leaned far more “melancholy and straight indie” than what you hear now on the record. He proposed slowing it all down and slathering it with a classic 1960s girl group texture. “What I heard out of it was a half-time drum and using Dim’s guitar as backing vocals. That gave us room where Jaime could step forth from within it and sing her lead,” says Foy.

Things quickly escalated, with Dim penning a verse. The song then easily slotted together, and the song that took so much time to get right seemed to instantly flourish. “There were almost no changes from that day to the song that we play. In a live setting, I play both drums and a synthesizer set up next to the drum kit,” continues Foy. “For the album, we thought we could do it a little more tenderly since there wasn’t a restriction of having me play two instruments at once. This is why the recording is piano-heavy. With the piano, the song became really warm. You could feel the cold air outside fighting to come into the house (or spaceship).”

“Temperatures” anchors their latest album, Let It Grow.

Below, the band discusses lyric writing, vulnerability in their lives, and lessons learned together.

“I’m always wanting what’s beyond my grasp, but I don’t want to let go of what I have” is such a sharp, poignant line. Do lyrics tend to flow out of your fingertips, or does it take some straining before the creative floodgates open up?

Parker: I’ll usually have a few really solid lines flow out of me, and I have to fight to find the rest of it. Also, Jake, Dim, and I are constantly working together to tweak lyrics with the goal of precision and flow.

Dim: When Jaime comes back in with the third verse, the song takes on a whole other dynamic altogether lyrically, but also in Jake’s arrangement of the music for the third verse. Had it been all those years before, I am hard-pressed to believe we could’ve all three collaborated so seamlessly.

Foy: This is one of my favorite Jaime lines. We have had fans come back to us pointing to this line as accurately describing their lives! I always tell Jaime that she packs a novel into a line. Her phrases often don’t rhyme and have so many syllables that I have no idea how she makes it so cohesive.

Have you ever struggled with being vulnerable with those in your life?

Parker: This is an interesting question.

It’s funny, but sometimes it’s easier for me to be vulnerable with a stranger. I know it’s paradoxical, but developing a relationship with someone involves much more risk than being vulnerable and open with someone you don’t know at all.

Dim: Yes. A lot more than I let on. It comes from being vulnerable and then being taken advantage of. After that, it becomes even more difficult to be vulnerable, as I need to be able to trust a stranger or familiar face.

Foy: Being human is a state of vulnerability. It is both a major strength and weakness of our human condition. We set out to explore the more intricate aspects of love on this album. The parts that are more messy or confusing than what you would find in a RomCom. We all had real experiences to draw from, but I don’t kiss and tell!

What about letting people in—does that come from personal experience?

Dim: Yes, however, with a caveat. Portions of all songs I write lyrics for or collaborate on are definitely inspired by personal experiences, hence the intimate vibe of the song. However, this does not mean the song or lyrics, in general, are 100% autobiographical. Letting people in can be difficult when there have been some that shouldn’t have. However, letting people in resulted in me being in Alpha Rabbit so…

A user on social media recently posed a question about the strangers that come into and out of our lives. Reflecting upon it, it really fits the song in a way. So, I have to ask, what interactions with strangers do you remember most in your life?

Parker: About 24 years ago, I had a conversation with a person experiencing homelessness in NYC. His name was Hugh, and that conversation changed my life. I felt my perception shift, and I realized that humans are all just fumbling around in the dark, trying to connect with each other.

Foy: I urge your readers not to talk to strangers.

Parker: And I urge your readers not to listen to Jake’s advice about not talking to strangers.

In eight years together, what have you learned from each other—personally and professionally?

Parker: Balance. Balance. Balance. Dark and light. Quiet and loud. Gratitude and apology. Spending time together making music with these fellas is sacred. It’s important to enjoy the relationships you have while you have them. We all must learn when to listen and when to speak.

Dim: Patience, compromise, service of the song, and collaboration without ego.

Foy: We have changed each other from musical taste to the clothes we wear to drum fills! At this point, we are pretty much stealing the better parts of the three of us. Perhaps one day we will make up ONE decent human being!

How would you describe how this fits on your latest album?

Parker: We balance each other out. On this particular album, I bring the introspection, the negative space, the dark matter. Jake brings the expansive sound, positive space, and exploding atoms. Dim is the arranger and big-picture thinker. He’s like the dots in the yin-yang.

Foy: “Temperatures” speaks of the vulnerable and longing parts of an important relationship. The ‘Let It Grow’ album explores the complicated side of love or any heavy relationship. We wanted the album to be intimate and to say things that aren’t typically said about the topic. We hope the album conveys that the relationship experiences that haunt many people are actually quite common. Maybe we can put our baggage down more easily if we realize that it is not such a worthy thing to carry.

With the just-released music video, you go to space. Who directed? And did you draw from any films or other music videos for the concept?

Parker: Tony Catanese from D.I.Why? directed the video for “Temperatures.” The look of the set was inspired by ‘Star Wars,’ ‘Alien,’ and mostly ‘Battle Beyond the Stars.’ Visually and feel was ‘2001: a Space Odyssey.’ The main theme was “space vintage.” Which also matches us people, I’d say. As far as other music videos, Tele Novella’s video for ‘Funeral’ was an inspiration.

Foy: We told Tony that we thought the song could be a “dialogue” between two lovers who are together but clearly miles apart in their relationship. As is customary for Tony, he came back with a love story in space that in one way wasn’t at all what we asked for but also hit the point home better than we could have imagined.

What is most striking about the visual is the colors, framing, and editing. How do these choices complement the lyrics?

Parker: It captures feeling so alone you want to implode. It captures wanting desperately to share your whole vibrant world with someone while coming to the realization that your own conflicting desires are the source of your isolation.

Foy: We use D.I.Why? for all of our artwork and videos. Tony produced our first two EPs. We are all mutual fans of each other, which makes working together to complement ideas seamless. We trust DIWHY? to be brave with ideas and direction because they know what our music is about.

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