With a rising wave of renewed interest in their 1998 album, Eyedazzler, Alison’s Halo dove deep into their recording vault with plans to release an expanded version of their now-classic shoegaze and dreampop record. While sifting through stacks of 2-, 4-, and 8-track cassettes, an unlabeled tape surfaced of a 1996 rehearsal room session containing a handful of songs that were captured very quickly as rough ideas and sonic sketches.

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As raw as these tunes were, there was an undeniable energy that rose above the lo-fi Portastudio noise and hiss – an energy that a band can only harness after years of countless live shows. The group decided these songs were strong enough to stand alone and flowed well enough together to warrant their own release as their new Skywide EP.

“There is a tendency these days to re-record, re-work, and refine parts and performances, or replace less desirable sonics with samples, and this batch of songs always seemed to push back hard any time we tried to polish or get too precious with them,” says vocalist and guitarist, Catherine. “They basically wanted to be left alone, and we learned very quickly to just get out of their way and let them shine!”

One song, in particular, benefited greatly from this approach: a slow-burning, yet blistering ’96 version of their debut single, “Dozen.” This number had been in the band’s setlist since their very first gig. It was the first song ever written for the band, the first song they ever recorded and mixed, and it proudly became their first vinyl 7-inch. After years of playing “Dozen” live, the band must have felt it was important enough to immortalize this 1996 version to tape.

Songwriter and lead guitarist Adam chimes in, “The basic drums, bass, and guitars on the other four tunes were solid and locked in, but the lyrics and melodies were just incoherent scats and ramblings – the sparks of ideas, basically – so it was incredible to be able to approach these songs from a new angle with older, but fresh ears. These new lyrics and melodies are lovely, and they nicely bridge a nearly 30-year gap in the band’s history.”

The songs on the EP explore the weight and tension of love (“Dozen” and “So Far Away”), small and fleeting moments that stay with you forever (“Tangled Up Inside”), and amazing relationships (“Happy”). Meanwhile, “Skywide,” the soaring title track, delves deep into the endless heartache of grief and coming to terms with the loss of a loved one, literally or figuratively, and finally reaching a point of calm and acceptance in the most unexpected of places.

“We are incredibly proud of these five songs and beyond excited to put them out to the world. In a strange but satisfying way, we are closing the chapter on the “Eyedazzler” era of the group in terms of recorded material, but the recently written lyrics and new melodies give a small glimpse as to what’s next for us,” Catherine muses. 

With momentum for Alison’s Halo fueled by recent interest in spacier shoegaze/dreampop music, an amazing and growing global fanbase, a few national tours, and, now, a new release, this once cult-like band is poised for the success that too often eluded them during the 1990s.

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