Alcoa - Parlour Tricks (2015)

The sophomore full-length from Alcoa, Parlour Tricks arrives upon a very new and invigorating chapter in Derek Archambault's life. The singer and guitarist, who also fronts rising hardcore punk act Defeater, has had an intense time since 2013's Bone & Marrow: He got married, for one thing; for another, he had major surgery with a hip replacement after a debilitating injury. After a successful campaign on crowd-funding site PledgeMusic (resulting in the covers EP, Thank You), he had the imminent surgery, got back on his feet, and immediately began working on new music with both Defeater and the more laid-back, alt-country-leaning Alcoa. Recording near his home provided a warm and familiar environment with bandmate and engineer Mike Moschetto, etching out a slightly twangy and honest sound with shades of wistful, jangly '90s alternative rock acts.