Releasing your first collection of songs as a band is difficult enough to begin with. From finding the prefect tours or local venues to share your new music at, in addition to navigating the social media platforms that dominate today’s world- it’s hard to make an impact and get your voice heard, even with all the possible tools to do so at your fingertips.

And in 2019 when UK rock band Alien Feelings formed and began working on their first EP, they never imagined that half of these resources would be taken away within a matter of months as the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe.

With the live music industry indefinitely shutting down just months prior to their scheduled debut, the band were faced with a number of unprecedented delays and uncertainty that forced them to change their plans of an official debut.

But despite not being able to tour and being forced to reevaluate their social media presence, Alien Feelings kicked off their career strong with their debut EP, Bondage and Lipstick this September and are now working on being heard, becoming known and planning for the future.

We had the chance to chat with the band about their EP, the pandemic, and how they have been impacted by the past year. You can read our full interview with the band now, and be sure to check out their debut release Bondage and Lipstick, out now.

Second Society Report: How are you holding up during this insane year that is 2020? Hopefully your friends and families are staying safe and healthy!

Alien Feelings: Hello thanks for taking the time to speak to us! We are holding up as expected… Insanely. Nah, everyone’s alright. Cheers.

SSR: Did you have any big releases or tours that were put on hold because of the pandemic?

Alien Feelings: Yeah, our debut release Bondage and Lipstick was held back a couple of months. I don’t remember by how much exactly, but I think it was to come out in summer but didn’t end up coming out until the fourth of September. That was down to us not being able to meet up and get our press shots done during lockdown. Lockdown, booooooo.

SSR: How has that affected the band? (could be personally, financially, morale wise, etc.) How have you been spending your newfound “downtime” while the world has been essentially shut down?

Alien Feelings: It’s hit us hard. Not the EP coming out later than we expected, that we don’t mind. But Covid-19 and more explicitly the government’s regulations have certainly battered the band and derailed our progression towards our goal of doing this full time. We were looking forward to promoting the EP live up and down the country, but at the very least I’d say that won’t be happening now until next year. Which is heart-breaking. I know a lot of other artists that are in the same boat as we are just riding this wave of uncertainty, I just hope that there’s an industry left when all’s said and done.

SSR: Have you picked up any new hobbies while quarantining that you’d like to share?

Alien Feelings: Tim’s been making models out of matchsticks which are really good, but what’s even more impressive is he’s now having a staggering five wanks a day as opposed to his normal routine of two a week.

SSR: Have you worked on any new releases during this time? Any that are already out or that we can get a sneak peak of? If already out- what was the inspiration for the release? 

Alien Feelings: We’re not releasing any new music for the remainder of the year, but we have been demoing our future releases together and writing new songs. As soon as we get the all clear and we’re able to get back in the studio, we’re ready to work our arses off to put out a new record because we have an abundance of material that we want to record. In the meantime, our debut release Bondage and Lipstick is out and available to stream everywhere, it’s just a little taste of what’s coming.

SSR: How has it been being an artist in a time when you cannot tour?

Alien Feelings: It’s been shite, we’re dying to get out there and see people because that’s what music is all about. It’s harder now having to navigate a band through these times, especially when our presence is strictly online. It’s hard to connect with an audience when they’re constantly flicking through content at a hundred miles an hour, so we’ve definitely missed out on touring and getting Alien Feelings well known out there as a physical thing. 

SSR: How have you been working to promote your music and expand your reach?

Alien Feelings: We’ve got a music video out for “Scream” which is one of the singles off the EP which we made that you should definitely check out! We’ve got plans to collaborate with a local venue to shoot a live gig too (without an audience and with covid restrictions in place) which should be great fun should all things go to plan. There will be another music video before the end of the year too. We’re always keeping ourselves busy, it’s worth following us on our socials. We’re always doing something when possible.

SSR: Do you have any words of advice for fans that are feeling particularly bummed out about the live music world coming to a halt?

Alien Feelings: Yeah, just keep the faith and hold on… The greatest days of live music have yet to have happened, when it returns it’s going to be as majestic as a zebra pissing on a lion. It’s the roaring twenties for fuck sake… Let’s get this plague out the way and party.

SSR: When the world returns to a safer spot and we are able to (hopefully) attend live shows again- say in 2021- what do you hope to achieve?

Alien Feelings: We hope to hit the road and never look back. We want to achieve whatever we can, whatever that may be. We want to tour hard and we want to get another record out. We want to be able to get the band experience that has been taken away from us. We just want to see our fans again.

SSR: Is there anything you wish your fans would know about you or about the current state of the music world?

Alien Feelings: The current state of music has been predominantly without personality for years. You only have to turn on the radio and you’re exposed to this bland piano based pop shit where everyone somehow manages to sound the same. It’s basically stuck, sticking to a single formula of what a song is….. But, there is a rise in bands breaking through at the moment which is very cool and hopefully we’ll see more of that in the years to come, because music could be exciting again. So all I’ve got to say to our fans and fans of the alternative scene in general is to keep pushing the bands that you love because it means the absolute world to us all, especially at a time where it feels like the government has lost heart in us and believes we’d be better off doing something else. Keep pushing to save our venues, keep streaming and supporting local bands, and brace yourself for the resurrection of live music. It’s going to be huge, bigger than ever and we can’t wait to be there with you.

You can stream Alien Feelings’ debut EP Bondage and Lipstick, out now wherever you stream music. And be sure to stay up to date on all things new music by following along on social media.

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