ALMS TAKE THEIR OWN ADVICE ON NEW EP “DID I ASK?”

by SOPHIE PRETTYMAN-BEAUCHAMP

Following up their 2021 EP Somehow, Always, LA shoegazers Alms return with another dreamy, pensive collection of four songs.

---

Recorded during a demo session in drummer Ellington Peet’s bedroom, Did I Ask? is a break from the four-piece’s lo-fi origins while remaining true to their DIY roots. Similar to their last EP, the band introspectively processes the heartbreaks and changes that have touched their lives over the course of the pandemic, this time leaning into irresistible pop structures and 90s/00s radio alt-rock production quality. 

Opener “1-800-DID-I-ASK?” sees Alms sweetening their sorrows with jangly, Britpop-reminiscent guitars layered with heavier riffs, as Tristan Walczak and Roman Zangari trade off on lead vocals, giving more texture and dimension to an already mesmerizing track. Reflecting on an incompatible relationship that was ill-fated to start, Walczak’s raw voice and blunt delivery add salt to the wound on the morose “Eye 4 an Eye” (personally, this writer cries every time). The EP comes to a crashing close that leaves listeners hankering for more with the dynamic single “Drag Me,” where Walczak and Zangari face themselves with conviction to move forward, with Peet and bassist Cole Brossus joining rhythmic forces to anchor them to a driving beat as they pass verses off to each other. (You can check out more of my reflections on “Drag Me” here.)

Alms made a name for themselves in the LA underground with their stellar debut album Dogpile in 2019, and three years later, they have truly matured into the band they were always meant to be. With every new release, they bare their inner worlds to us more and more, and with even bigger and better productions time after time–proof of just how high DIY can fly. Blossoming in the underground, they’re set to break through the stratosphere.

Did I Ask? is available now across all streaming platforms. Catch Alms live at Non Plus Ultra on 10/28 as they cover Blink-182, along with Sleeping Diet with selections from Family Values Tour bands and Fime as Weezer.

---

KEEP UP WITH US ON INSTAGRAM FOR MORE QUESTIONS

WORDS + PHOTOS BY SOPHIE PRETTYMAN-BEAUCHAMP