Description
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Comprising of six years of subsided artistic development, Alpha Maid – born Leisha Thomas, announced 2025 with a spanking debut. “Is This a Queue” is not your average experimental rock album. It demonstrates a firm grounding in the art rock genre, merging elements from noise rock and post-punk genres and topped with an exceptional touch of free improvisation. Demonstrating a raw, unpolished flair similar to the artistry of Mica Levi, this project also features contributions from fellow industry moguls including Ben Vince, Coby Sey, Valentina Magaletti, and Leo Hermitt.
Before stardom, Thomas formed a sound that is best described as a personification of a beautiful chaos, reminiscent of a blend between Black Dice, Slint, and Klein. Her 2021 project, ‘CHUCKLE’, gave glimpses of work similar to Dean Blunt and This Heat with its anarchic edge. “Is this a queue”, however, brings a dark twist to Thomas’s sound, replacing the loose lines of her earlier works with purposeful, definitive strokes. Even walking on a path forged by her solo works and collaborations with Mica Levi, Thomas’s debut album is not a trifling effort for clout, but an ingrainedrecord reflecting her experiences with a unique community of similar minds.
Kicking off the album is the beguiling ‘6-9’, which deviates markedly from Thomas’s traditional sound. Using layered environmental reverberations and feather-light drones, this piece channels the provocative rhythmic inventiveness of Bruce Gilbert and Graham Lewis. Tracks like ‘Guarded’, ‘WHY WE HAVE TO MOVE’, and ‘Rich Plain’ are emblematic of the album’s experimental rock edge, each with its unique tang. Ending on a steadily powerful note with ‘Palimpsest’, Alpha Maid collaborates with Coby Sey and Ben Vince to build a unique sonic skyline depicting elements of London’s rich culture scene.
“Is This a Queue” emerges as a dynamic album, producing footprints on several epochs and locations over the years. The opening track ‘6-9’ lays the foundation with its multifaceted structure replete with unconventional percussions, eerie screeches, and partial vocal ensembles. The distinct soundscapes that make up the project’s run time prominently stand out, featuring clouds of reverberations in “GOAT Rosetta”, rhythm drum sessions in “Why We Have to Move”, and unpolished guitar sessions in “Strut in Straddle”.
Laden with fascinating hooks and looped tracks, “Is This a Queue” aligns more towards songs rather than improvisations, making it an unforgettable entry in experimental rock. Tracks such as ‘2 Numbers’ are strikingly captivating, blending uneven post-punk guitars and Leo Hermitt’s raw, melodious vocals, while ‘On Smoke’ layers a breakup narrative through Alpha Maid’s Auto-Tune-based drone. The regeneration of lo-fi sound in her debut album is far from conventional or toned-down. Instead, it is a robust and metallic collection subtly interspersed with a surprising Giggs reference or an industrial bang after a melodically discordant interlude. With “Is This a Queue”, Thomas reassures her listeners of the compelling potential experimental rock holds, making it an album well worth the wait.
