_{By Zach Collier}

It’s been a long, long time since I’ve found an album (local or otherwise) that has genuinely captivated me from start to finish. Heading North by the Salt Lake City indie rock outfit The Alpines did just that. If you love indie obscura from the late ’00s and early ’10s, at least one of the 11 shimmering tracks from Heading North is sure to tickle your fancy.

The Alpines are a creative partnership between Bri McCall and Danny Patiño. They started working together in the fall of 2021 while Bri was looking to form a band around her solo music and Danny was in between projects.

Bri and Danny began working together in fall of 2021. Bri was working as a solo artist and looking to start a band while Danny was in between bands and considering a new project. The two met over coffee and clicked. Before long, they decided to write a post-apocalyptic concept album.

There are few perfect openers in this world, and “Maybe” by The Alpines is one of them. The first downbeat consists of breathy, verbed out, vocoder harmonies and through-the-wall percussion. Everything is filtered and shimmery, like moonlight underwater during a midnight swim. They accomplish a solid build and drop in a mere 16 seconds before you’re introduced to Bri McCall’s darling voice that is sure to win over every Lizzy McAlpine fan in existence. “Maybe” is a breezy, groovy shuffle with layers of emotion simmering underneath. This song made me an instant fan.

This is followed by “Nobody Knows” – a twangy track with slide guitar and an urgent train beat on the snare. This immediately establishes another side of The Alpines’ sound and shows just how versatile they are as songwriters and musicians. It also demonstrates how good McCall’s voice is. It fits great over any genre. It’s folky and effective.

“Some People” is the first mellow track on the record, and is a great fusion of the preceding two styles. Subdued and restrained, I’d place it well within the boundaries of Deseret Vibe Rock: a little psychedelic, a little folksy, with spooky sustained synths.

The rest of the album masterfully juggles these three sonic anchors, bouncing between them at will. Far from being eclectic, every song is full of intention. The Alpines know exactly who they are and what they wanted this record to be. The title track is a great example of this stylistic balancing act, with dancy, almost Modest Mouse-styled drums underneath dusty electric guitars and a folky acoustics.

The sprawling, 8-and-a-half minute epic that is “Homebody / Habits” features the fuzziest, sexiest lead guitar tone to ever come out of Utah. It made me stank face the first time I listened to the song. And the second time. And the hundredth time. The reaction is involuntary every time, and I’m seriously concerned for my health. I’m worried that if I keep listening to it, the stank face will stick and I’ll be permanently disfigured.

I could continue to go track by track, but I think you get the point. There’s something novel and fascinating about each track on the record. I think my only gripe with the record is that as wonderful as McCall’s voice is, it’s pretty much mixed the same across the record. This makes her the cohesive, unifying sound on the record, which I think is a smart move given how wild the arrangements can get. In the future, though, I’d love to see them take some more chances with her voice. Some vocal harmonies, maybe some stacked oohs and ahs for texture, or some gang vocals or inventive doubling. The sky’s the limit with a vocalist as talented as she is. She nails this vibe so well.

Regardless, this is a fantastic debut and I couldn’t recommend it more. The Alpines are a band to watch. Sonically, they embody two of the most regionally distinct elements of the Utah music scene: Deseret Vibe Rock and Dusty Deseret. I’m definitely a huge fan.

Make sure to follow The Alpines on Instagram. Check out “Maybe” by The Alpines below!