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Almost Heaven Credit: Sebastian Saef<\/p>\nAlmost Heaven Credit: Sebastian Saef<\/p>\n
At the pearly gates of stardom, will your outfit unlock the door?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Almost Heaven originator and multi-instrumentalist Stefan Barraza arrives at our interview without his signature bug-eyed sunglasses \u2013\u00a0not a part of the plan, he assures me. His primary set broke in the car, granting me the rare treat of a glimpse behind the shades that the rest of you plebeians will get when the duo achieves widespread acclaim.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we accept some superficial award, I can go, \u2018Hello, world,\u2019\u201d Barraza says, miming the grand reveal of his full visage with a freshly replaced, identical pair. It\u2019s the kind of vision board manifestation that forms the lofty foundation of this emerging act. Alongside drummer Jaelyn Valero, the songwriter is leading Almost Heaven on a rock & roll performance campaign as they build their hybrid pop discography and launch a label bearing the same name as their forthcoming debut EP: Raw Cranium.<\/p>\n
The name, undoubtedly unintentionally, serves as a pseudo artist statement for the pair and their collaborative approach to artistry. To hear them tell it, their live-layered electronic songs, drama-enhancing stage lighting, stylized music videos, and big-picture business ideas arrive concurrently, full-bodied and energetic, itching to crawl into the world like a newborn Athena cracking through Zeus\u2019 skull.<\/p>\n
Barraza and Valero, who also drums for Farmer\u2019s Wife<\/a>, were introduced by mutual friends and gelled instantly.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were grown in the same lab,\u201d Valero says. They bonded over a love of asymmetrical dance music and performance-driven playing. Their youthful influences \u2013 hip-hop for Barraza and indie rock for Valero \u2013 are palpable in the fledgling act\u2019s New Wave-gone-hyperpop sound, which borrows an indie sleaze emotional tenor with a club remix flair that shares a family tree with LCD Soundsystem and fellow sunglasses devotee the Dare.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBritney meets KISS,\u201d Barraza jokingly describes their sound. He\u2019s quick to downplay the comparison, scrambling to create distance from anything resembling intentionality or inspiration at every turn. It\u2019s an interesting move for a project that\u2019s cultivated a following around electric performance and a cohesive visual aesthetic, elements that typically temper raw ideation with curation. Intuition and kinetic revelation feature heavily in their mythos. Almost Heaven\u2019s latest singles, \u201chypnoxia\u201d and \u201cfever trying to blow,\u201d released Nov. 21, demonstrate the kind of sonic growth expected from a developing duo learning each other\u2019s strengths and audience reactions.<\/p>\n \u201cJaelyn has elevated everything about this project: soundwise, lookswise, aesthetic, visual approachwise, everything,\u201d Barraza says. \u201cNonetheless, I think it\u2019s maintained this rawness.\u201d<\/p>\n Barraza has a background in music video production, which he swiftly brought to Almost Heaven\u2019s growing discography, and Valero launched a zine, Locket, this past spring. These multifaceted creatives, experienced in organizational and design-based skills that invite direction and reflection, find little place for those talents in discussing their music project.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s more like: See a bigger picture ahead and then let things fall into place to get to that picture,\u201d Barraza tells me.\u00a0<\/p>\n