AIAIA, “Staring” (self-released)
AIAIA is Alaia D’Alessandro, the sparkplug singer/multi-instrumentalist for Tres Leches, hotly tipped by critics and fans as a Seattle band likely to break big in 2019. Tres Leches’ Amorfo made my list for best 2018 releases by local artists (published here), and it’s been appearing on other such round-ups in Seattle media. Believe the hype. Tres Leches’ brand of rock delivers both familiar and unexpected jolts of excitement, as all three members swap instruments and invert tropes into thrilling sonic joyrides.
The crazy thing is, D’Alessandro’s other, more low-key project, AIAIA, is just as exciting as Tres Leches, if the recent shows I caught by them at Jupiter Bar and Clock-Out Lounge are any indication (the first was with a band, the second solo). D’Alessandro injects her rock with a powerful joie de vivre and melodic vibrancy that translate into undeniable star power—but without the prima-donna proclivities. She’s a diminutive person, but when onstage, D’Alessandro seems to double in size, as if inflated by sheer talent, charisma, and determination.
“Staring” is pure lo-fi-bedroom-pop enchantment. D’Alessandro strokes radiant guitar gold over satisfyingly chunky and rudimentary looped drum beats while singing in that quirkily assertive manner that reminds me of badass post-punk vocalists Lora Logic (Essential Logic) and Janine Rainforth (Maximum Joy). The whole thing builds to a rapturous cascade of rock hypnosis. Una leche es grande, también.
AIAIA performs tonight at Central Saloon with Beatrix Sky, Hand Model, and Chanel Beads.
