SINGLE REVIEW: Alone by HIMALAYAS
One of our mystical predictions for the Sounds of 2022, Cardiff quartet HIMALAYAS have finally given us a delicious taste of some new music with their first release since 2020's We Love To Hate. The brand new track, Alone, encapsulates everything we've always loved about HIMALAYAS and so much more!
Led by a burning riff and monstrous, meaty drums, Alone is an immediate home-run. The Welsh wonders have hit this dirty-rock anthem straight out of the fucking park - it's a head-thumping, toe-tapping belter brimming with attitude. Frontman Joe's yearning vocals melt perfectly into the rest of the track, which was produced and mixed flawlessly (as usual) by their longtime collaborators Dave Sardy and Steffan Pringle (Royal Blood, Josh Homme, Rage Against The Machine). If you've already listened to HIMALAYAS, you'll know they're no strangers to a catchy-ass melody, and Alone is definitely no different. You'll probs be singing along to the chorus by the end of the song - apologies in advance.
According to Joe, "Alone is about the idea of being in a nightmare, but one that you don’t seem to want to wake up from. A continuous looping corridor of the unknown, where you’re crawling to find a way through.” Even without the lyrics, the music perfectly captures that urgently haunting feeling.
The song arrives alongside the appropriately spooky new music video, directed by Joel Barney (who's previously worked with the likes of Royal Blood, Alfie Templeman, and Gang Of Youths).
2021 saw HIMALAYAS soar to new heights - after the not-so-surprising success of their scorching 2017 single Thank God I'm Not You (with a whopping 30 million streams on Spotify alone), last September they supported fellow Welsh legends Manic Street Preachers at a sold out Motorpoint Arena, followed by Stereophonics at the Eden Project earlier this month - as well as selling out their own London and Cardiff headlines.
With a friendship forged on a mutual love of Queens Of The Stone Age, Muse and Iggy Pop in their teenage years, Joe and guitarist Mike started playing covers in their local pubs. Later joined by drummer James in 2015, they were completed by Louis on bass. 2020 might've put HIMALAYAS incredible trajectory on pause, but after some well-needed time in the studio the lads are officially back and raring to go, and we cannot fucking wait to see what's to come!
Listen to Alone on Spotify and Apple Music
Review by Courtney Myers
Photography by PEROU
