Alex G by Tonje Thilesen Gretel
He started out making music in his bedroom at age 13, released his first four albums in his teens, and he would have played Coachella in 2020 as a statesmanlike 27-year-old had the California desert music festival not been postponed on account of a pandemic. But Havertown, Pennsylvania’s Alex Giannascoli, a.k.a. “Alex G,” has never sat around waiting for any music industry entity to confirm his talents. He’s done that himself with his mellow, experimental brand of electronic-acoustic indie rock and folk.
As his following grew, he picked up profile-raising gigs like a spot in the 2016 Sound on Sound Fest in Austin, Texas, and a slot opening for Brand New on tour in 2017. He was a guitarist and collaborator on two albums by genre-bending hip-hop visionary Frank Ocean. But his lo-fi bedroom pop style endures.
Sitting on a catalog of more than 100 songs, it’s difficult to predict what Alex G might play on any given night. Anyone catching him at III Points in Miami in October can hope for cuts from his latest album “House of Sugar,” which came out in September 2019 but won’t sound out of place in a pandemic-altered world: The songs merge into an intimate album-length suite with recurring themes of longing, fear of loss and of letting go, and the desire to be with someone.
Alex G’s territory covers everything from youthful crushes to drug overdoses and the whole spectrum of human connection — need, want, grief, misfortune and relationships of all kinds. Even as he’s refined and evolved his sound, he’s consistently crafted songs that are formatted like short stories that preserve his adolescence for future consideration. People in Alex G’s age bracket might feel a tug of nostalgia on hearing him, as he’s captured so many of their growing-up pains in songs about his own. Reminiscent of the soundtracks to “Juno” and “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist,” Alex G’s music is a euphonic coming of age story. Regulars at Respectable Street’s recurring Indie Night and Emo Night events are certain to find solace in the tunes of Alex G.
Alex G plays the III Points festival in Miami on October 23. http://sandyalexg.com ~ Amanda Moore
