Alpaca Sports - Another Day

Release date: 1/17/2025

Clear vinyl. Limited edition. Includes digital MP3 download [320 kbps].
CD in jewel case with OBI on Testcard Records (Japan). Limited stock.

LINE UP: AMANDA ÅKERMAN (Vocals / Gothenburg), ANDREAS JONSSON (Vocals and guitar / Gothenburg), LISLE MITNIK (Guitar, bass, piano, glockenspiel and synthesizer / Portland), HAMPUS ÖHMAN-FRÖLUND (Drums / New York), CRISTINA QUESADA (Backing vocals / Puerto Del Rosario)

INFLUENCES: NEW ORDER, SAINT ETIENNE, DUBSTAR, EVEN AS WE SPEAK, CLUB 8, BELLE & SEBASTIAN

PRODUCED, MIXED & MASTERED by IAN CATT

LP track list: 01 Tomorrow I'll Be Fine  02 Always On My Mind  03 Tell Me  04 Autograph  05 Bluebells  06 Slipping Through My Fingertips 07 Break My Heart  08 Tonight  09 Waiting For The Right Time  10 If Tomorrow Comes

CD track list: 1. Tomorrow I’ll Be Fine  2. Always On My Mind  3. Tell Me  4. Autograph  5. Bluebells  6. Slipping Through My Fingertips  7. Break My Heart  8. Tonight  9. Waiting For The Right Time  10. If Tomorrow Comes  Bonus Tracks:  11. Better Things To Do  12. No Place I’d Rather Be

So much has happened since ALPACA SPORTS released “From Paris With Love” in 2018. There have been new cities to live in, new chapters in their lives, health problems and loved ones lost. All of these circumstances have led, almost unintentionally, to “Another Day”, their conceptual new album about what change brings. The songs celebrate the few spare moments of calm and contemplation when we find ourselves in the midst of an immense shift. They dwell in the hazy spaces and golden hours when the day turns into night, when summer becomes fall, and all the other in-betweens in our lives that are full of fears, doubts, hopes and dreams. This kind of fragile and heartbreaking beauty, that is so surprisingly powerful at the same time, is what we get from the group formed by Andreas Jonsson, Amanda Åkerman and Lisle Mitnik (TINY FIREFLIES, FIREFLIES, VERY TRULY YOURS...).

It's not that the group stopped working after their last release, but the changes they experienced did affect in some way the songs that Andreas and Lisle had been working on, and caused a bunch of unexpected mutations, which made this full length take a lot longer than expected to complete. Ian Catt himself (ANOTHER SUNNY DAY, THE FIELD MICE, SAINT ETIENNE, TREMBLING BLUE STARS, SHAMPOO...) took advantage of this situation to challenge the group to take their music to new levels, pushing their most danceable facet (“Always On My Mind”, “Slipping Through My Fingertips”) or perfecting even more (if it’s even possible) their vocal arrangements (“Tonight”, “Break My Heart”). The band maintains their incredible ability to make us smile while they talk about bitter things (“Tomorrow I’ll Be Fine”, “Waiting For The Right Time”), but they also talk about those small, beautiful details that ultimately turn into something tremendously beautiful (“If Tomorrow Comes” and “Autograph”).

Once again, Ray Kimura is in charge of creating the album’s visuals, and there are also live drums from Hampus Öhman-Frölund (which was recorded again in New York by Gary Olson, of THE LADYBUG TRANSISTOR), stellar vocal harmony collaborations from Cristina Quesada, and the precious participation of Georgie, Ian Catt’s daughter, on the choruses of “If Tomorrow Comes”.

“Another Day”, which is being released as a limited-edition, transparent vinyl, will probably be the most existential, intimate and exciting album in ALPACA SPORTS’ trajectory, which is saying quite a lot. Enjoy it in every possible aspect – they triumph in every single one.