THE RIDER: Alphabet City's Top 10
The band on sacrilegious mixed beverages, make-your-own bird calendars and a true-blue loyalty to bootcut jeans
In between the memorable ~moments~ and ~milestones~ a life is marked by transitions, trial and error, uncomfortable (or maybe too comfortable) periods of monotony... the occasional existential crisis. All of which are inevitable parts of each individual journey on the unique-but-universal human quest to find our calling, our future, ourselves. But while it might not be glamorous (and it probably isn’t fun), it’s often here—in the midst of the search, the middle of the in-between—where the real magic happens.
Fresh out of college in 2022, Iyare — frontman + lead guitarist of NYC trio Alphabet City — was having a self-described “awkward stretch.” Back at home with his parents, he was dealing with a fruitless job search, a fresh breakup and a new diagnosis. But it was during this rough time when, feeling lost, he found his way back to writing songs. This creative practice slowly pulled him out of his funk. And now, three years later, the creative product is making its way into the world.
Enter: “Year of the Tiger”— the second single from Alphabet City — which is one of the first songs to emerge from that period and is OUT TODAY!
“Now decree that you know that your life isn’t over / Roll it over / Listen to me / It’s time to be good, as good as can be-e-e-ee / Perfection’s illusion and there lies relief”
Ahead of the release of “Year of the Tiger” (the last one, btw, was 2022), Iyare shared this of the band’s new track:
“‘Year of the Tiger’ embodies the heart of the band more than most of our songs. Aesthetically there’s a playful ‘chip on your shoulder’ element to ABC, reminiscent of the ‘all for one/one for all’ stuff we grew up with as kids like the shows Recess and Codename: Kids Next Door. It’s the feeling of you and your group of friends being the dark horse in the race with something to prove. Whether that stems from our own adolescence, our diverse racial mix, or the lengthy gestation process of the band (since 2019!), who's to say? But ‘Year of the Tiger’ tackles that mentality from an almost existential angle, championing perseverance within the face of rejection, hopefulness amongst a sea of bleakness.”
And in the context of the band’s catalogue:
“If ‘Yesterday’s Papers’ was our ‘Love Me Do,’ ‘Year of the Tiger’ is our ‘Please Please Me,’ something more refined that gives a sense of where the music’s headed.”
Alphabet City is Iyare, bassist and backing vocalist Alyssa Tumale and drummer Max Had. To celebrate the release, Alyssa and Iyare tag-teamed a Top 10 featuring a few of the things they’re eating/drinking/reading/watching/wearing and more—
Read, listen, rock! And have a really great weekend.
ALPHABET CITY’S TOP 10
1. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021)
Five-star film for me. It’s incredibly wholesome, poignant, clever, and just as sweet as can be. It’s like a hug in movie-form. My friend Aaron gave me the Marcel the Shell figurine from A24, and it proudly sits on a shelf on my living room wall. “Guess why I smile a lot?” “Why?” “Uh, ‘cause it’s worth it.” <3 (Alyssa)
2. Birds
Just all birds. I picked up birdwatching during the pandemic. I had moved back to Georgia and was staring out a window when a bird came by, and I thought to myself, “Huh, I never learned what type of bird that is.” So I looked it up (it was a robin -- what an amateur!), and I’ve just never stopped. I soon started photographing whatever came by. I moved back to NYC later in 2020 with a new passion, and I’ve now been birding all across New England with my fiancé. There’s a big bird photography community in NYC, and it’s amazing randomly running into the same old faces at parks around the tri-state area. I have a website (alyssa-tumale.pixels.com) and put out an annual calendar featuring my photos. My favorite bird would be a ruby-throated hummingbird — they’re like tiny, magical fairies darting around. (Alyssa)
3. Veselka
Nothing brings me more joy than eating some pierogis (boiled), potato pancakes, and an egg cream while sitting at a table at Veselka with people I love. Everything about this place and its food gives me comfort. (Alyssa)
4. Chai lattes
I love all things cinnamon, and this drink is my go-to at every coffeeshop. I would be thrilled to have one every single day, hot or iced, depending on the weather and my mood. And, as I always end my order, “regular milk is fine, thank you.” (Alyssa)
5. Little Feat performing “Long Distance Love” on The Old Grey Whistle Test (1975)
This is maybe my favorite video of any band ever. Everything about it is perfect. Bob Harris’s whispering introduction, Lowell George’s soulful and angelic voice, Richie Hayward’s two black eyes and Exorcist t-shirt, and how incredibly in the pocket they all are while clearly being as sweaty and zooted as can be. “Long Distance Love” is my favorite Little Feat song. They’re in my top three favorite bands, and I’ll never stop trying to get people to love them as much as I do. (Alyssa)
6. That Thing You Do! (1994) / Sing Street (2016)
I saw That Thing You Do! back in 8th grade and I still think about it all the time, particularly small victories along the way when playing in a band like performing in nicer venues or hearing your stuff on the radio for the first time. The soundtrack’s lovely (RIP Adam Schlesinger) and I fell like a ton of bricks for Liv Tyler’s character too! Sing Street came later on while I was starting college and I loved how it presented a band as your little gang of friends against the world. It really hits close to home: Alyssa and I talk about the movie’s “happy/sad” dichotomy often and the band dynamic between Max and myself is pretty identical to Cosmo and Eamon’s (i.e. one bringing in a song and the other making suggestions for where to take it musically). A friend a little while ago even saw the movie and texted me that Cosmo and his band reminded her of me and ABC. I found that quite touching. (Iyare)
7. Sorrel
It’s a Jamaican hibiscus drink and I’m absolutely obsessed. And the fact that they’re selling them at more bodegas isn’t helping my addiction either! They make them all over Brooklyn and everyone’s is just slightly different enough to where I’ll probably forever be on the quest for the perfect one. My mom makes jugs of them too and she’ll have one on standby whenever I fly back south to visit. What I like to do now is mix it with a bottle of Welch’s fruit punch. I don’t think the ancestors will ever forgive me for that one… (Iyare)
8. Denim
I love a good Canadian tuxedo, what can I say? Speaking as a person who’s never been quite cool enough to pull off a leather jacket, jean jackets are a lifesaver. I’ve branched out more in the pants department but I still rock my bootcuts. Dare I out myself as a skinny jean fiend from back in the day? Particularly ripped jeans! I have a very distinct memory of being too impatient for the rips to naturally come in so I took a pair of scissors and slashed away. My mother was furious. (Iyare)
9. My matcha-stained McNally Jackson tote bag of current reads
I just finished Dylan’s Chronicles: Volume 1 and it blew me away! The best bits to me were moments of him gushing over music he loved, whether it was Woody Guthrie’s work or pop standards like “Moon River”. It’s always fun to see your heroes geeking over the art that inspired them. I also finished Van Gogh’s letters and it’s chock full of that stuff! There was one painting where he said it was “all humanity, all nature simplified, as they might be, if they are not already so.” Isn’t that sweet? This collection of short stories by Kate Chopin has been killer as well. She’s of the modernist school but with this Southern-gothic edge. I particularly love the way she depicts characters falling in and out of love. I thought “The Awakening” would overshadow the rest of the stuff in here but it’s banger after banger honestly, though “La Belle Zoraïde” is my current fave. Last but not least I bought Zadie Smith’s essay collection Feel Free. Anyone defending libraries, multicultural stories, and optimism in the face of despair with a dry English wit to boot is an automatic favorite for me. (Iyare)
10. Haircare
I’ve always been pretty fussy about my hair, even before I had locs. But the cool thing about having locs now is that I can experiment with all different kinds of stylings and accessories. It was like a whole world opened up! African beads. Headbands. Hair dye. Color-coordinated scrunchies to the wazoo! It became another means of self-expression, something that’s very important to me. It also gives me the confidence to pull off stuff I wouldn’t have had the guts to wear back in high school. Locs look pretty cool onstage too, even though I look like a mop in most of our pictures. When it comes to hair products I practically only use Aussie. The coconut jojoba combination is truly unmatched. (Iyare)
Top 10 written + provided by Alphabet City .Follow the band at @alphabetcityband and add the songs to your Spotify playlists!
Feature image provided by the band.