Alisa Xayalith’s triumphant debut album ‘Slow Crush’ serves up back-to-back indie-pop gems
Alisa Xayalith has today released her debut album, Slow Crush – an uplifting collection of songs, marking a significant milestone in the NZ-born, LA-based singer-songwriter’s flourishing solo career.
Listen to Slow Crush HERE
Alisa, who rose to fame as one of the founding members of the award-winning band, The Naked And Famous, has been dropping singles from her debut solo record, Slow Crush since August last year, including indie-pop gems like Roses, Boys and Guitars and What The Hell Do We Do Now?
Now joining the string of winning singles, is the album’s focus track and one of Alisa’s personal favourite songs on the record, Alone With You. It’s a feelgood, power anthem co-written with upcoming NZ songwriter/artist/producer, Josh Naley, who also produced the song alongside Tyler Spry and Harry Charles.
Listen to Alone With You HERE
“I wrote Alone with You in New Zealand with songwriter Josh, when I was stuck there waiting for my US visa approval. What is usually a two-week wait time ended up being three months. I was filled with anxiety over the possible outcome of being denied and having to leave my entire life in Los Angeles,” explains Alisa.
“The night before my writing session, I called my partner in LA. He was out at a party, so our conversation was kept brief. We’d kept missing each other because of the time zones. I was forlorn and fed up with my entire situation.”
The underlying sentiment of Alone With You is aptly summed up in a moody, romantic video inspired by Wong Kar Wai’s film Fallen Angels and shot in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. “We shot the majority of the video out of a car window, and it turned out to be one of my favourite music videos we’ve ever made.”
Watch the video HERE
Like many of the songs on Slow Crush, Alone With You sees Alisa writing about the experiences she was living through at the time.
“This album happened during a season when I felt myself shifting into the next phase of my career. I was yearning for a safe space to write and grow. I committed to prioritizing the health of my creativity, and as I did, love and romance began to fill the cracks in my life, leading to my eventual album. My process felt reminiscent of a slow crush building over time. It was the catharsis I needed to push me into this next chapter where I could simply be ‘Alisa Xayalith’.”
Another notable track on the album is When You Were Mine written during a time when Alisa was fostering dogs through LA-based dog rescue centre, The Real Bark. “When the thought of making music felt bleak, I decided to take a mental health and creative break. I ended up fostering about six dogs over a long period of time. I found it grounding being able to care for dogs and, in doing so, take care of myself too. Riley was the name of my last foster before my schedule eventually filled back up again. I knew I’d be heartbroken when she finally found her forever home. She was in the writing room with us when we wrote this song; it’s completely inspired by her. Adopt, don’t shop!”
It’s just one of the many heartwarming stories behind the making of Alisa’s triumphant debut album, which well and truly shines a light on one of Aotearoa’s most celebrated songwriting talents.
Alongside the writers and producers who Alisa worked with, she also credits band mate Aaron Short from The Naked And Famous, on mixing duties, and Andrew Downton at Railtown Mastering, for helping to bring Slow Crush to life.
Alisa will be touring Slow Crush across the US from April to June with Sunday (1994):
April 24 – San Francisco, CA – Rickshaw Stop
April 26 – Seattle, WA – Madame Lou’s
April 27 – Portland, OR – Holocene May
May 5 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
May 7 – Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall
May 9 – Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s
June 5 – Los Angeles, CA – The Troubadour
GET TICKETS HERE
