Nearly two and a half years have passed since we first covered ALT BLK ERA on Indieterria. A lot of things have changed: the Nottingham duo are now signed to their home-town label, Earache Records, they played the holy trinity of rock summer festivals (Glastonbury, Leeds & Reading and Download), released their debut EP (“Freak Show”), sold out strings of shows in the UK and Europe and received nominations for the best newcomers at 2024 MOBO and Heavy Music Awards. The girls seem to be in a fast lane to stardom and we can’t bloody wait.
“Hunt You Down” single cover
ALT BLK ERA’s truly meteoric rise from obscurity to big stages is very rare these days, especially for musicians coming from both, the working class and minority background. In the last decade, the majority of artists, and that includes all entertainment genres such as theatre, movies, TV, dance and music, come from white, middle to upper class. According to press reports, since the 1970’s, the number of artists identifying as working class has declined by half and now is at the lowest point in decades. This is not surprising after 15 years of Conservative government imposed austerity that closed down public libraries, youth clubs and cut any funding from artistic programs aimed at vulnerable and marginalized groups.
The success of two teenage girls is particularly significant. With their genre bending mixture of rock, heavy metal, dance, EDM and pop, Chaya and Nyrobi are breaking barriers, smashing glass ceilings and knocking down walls that are keeping artists of colour from achieving national success. Their talent, unique stage presence and flawless delivery make them one of the best acts on the current British music scene.
“Hunt You Down” is the fourth single from their upcoming debut album “Rave Immortal”, after “My Drummer’s Girlfriend”, “Straight To Heart” and the lyrical “Come on Outside”. “Rave Immortal” comes out on 24th of January 2025 so my guess is, this is the last release before the big unveil, unless the pair decides to select another song to carry out the album delivery. Delilah Bon released a stand alone single and an album on the same day earlier this year – bold move but it was a big success. Whatever the girls decide on, I’m sure it will be something spectacular.
Each of ALT BLK Era’s album tracks so far came with a dedicated video and “Hunt You Down” is no exception. Released on the 11th of December, by the time of writing this review, the video amassed more than 13.000 views and hundreds of positive comments. This may be their best video yet, but we will get there in a second. As a single, “Hunt You Down” stands at 3 minutes and 15 seconds and it’s a surprisingly radio friendly pop/rock track with a strong electro beat that reminds me at times of “Telephone” by Lady Gaga and Beyoncé. Despite its strong dance floor pulse, dramatic keys and “Reservoir Dogs” flavoured guitars, “Hunt You Down” is hardly a party time number. It was written from the perspective of a bedridden person fighting isolation, loneliness and long term illness, watching the world through the lens of a computer screen and experiencing interactions with others excursively in the digital realm. Nyrobi wanted to explore the darker side of the human psyche, especially of those people who are locked in the virtual world, and may become obsessed or even behave inappropriately towards others. The computer generated reality of chat rooms, TikTok reels and tweets can distort reality and blur the lines between what’s real, sane or right. It’s so very easy to follow the white rabbit down the rabbit hole and instead of Wonderland, you can find a toxic hell.
ALT BLK ERA photographed by their manager, Anika Vassell
The video to “Hunt You Down” shows The Huntresses (Chaya and Nyrobi) stalking a young man (played by actor and martial artist, Tobias Chapman) they supposedly met online. After declaring their feelings, this complete stranger becomes their prey and the hunt begins. The video is absolutely fantastic – tongue in cheek, drawing inspirations from “Matrix” trilogy, “Ghost In The Shell”, “Animatrix”, “Cyber Punk 2077” video game and British espionage genre (“The Avengers, “Killing Eve”, James Bond series) and even soap operas. The Huntresses are everywhere: on the streets parading like models on a catwalk wearing sophisticated costumes, hiding around the bends, observing the city from rooftops. They are surfing the net using elaborate equipment that would make Q green with envy, they even display fantastic-like abilities being able to appear in mirrors, walk through walls, materialize as holograms at will or slow time. Their victim can feel their presence at home, during shopping or even when he is jogging or sleeping. I’m not going to spoil it for anybody, but there is more to the young man that meets the eye – watch the video and you will be in for a big surprise.
I have said this before but ALT BLK ERA are a breath of fresh air. Not only is their music something really innovative and fresh, they also have great ideas of what they want to do and how to make it appealing for a diverse audience. I don’t know how those ladies do it, but their imagination knows no bounds. Their costumes, stage presence, videos, pictures, live shows, makeup are like puzzle pieces that, when combined together, create outstanding and unique art.
In my humble opinion, they are one of the brightest, most original music creators in the UK – really, some sort of national treasures.
I keep my fingers crossed they are given the artistic freedom, opportunity to experiment, grow and explore at their own pace – with proper care, they will evolve into international superstars. They already achieved so much, but this is just a beginning.
Let them create and you will see that British music is still strong and skilful as it has been for the last 70 years. In the 21st century, British music is led by artists such as Nova Twins, Bob Vylan and ALT BLK ERA. They are the future of British sound.
Please follow the band online at:
https://www.altblkera.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ALTBLKERA
https://www.instagram.com/altblkera/
https://twitter.com/ALTBLKERA
https://altblkera.bandcamp.com/
https://www.tiktok.com/@altblkera
https://www.youtube.com/c/ALTBLKERA
https://soundcloud.com/altblkera
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4FNR2qdCVKGAep4alfg
Additional read:
https://www.kerrang.com/watch-the-video-for-alt-blk-eras-new-alt-pop-banger-hunt-you-down
https://allabouttherock.co.uk/alt-blk-era-unveil-alt-pop-anthem-hunt-you-down/
https://www.holdtight.co/news/2024/12/11/alt-blk-era-unveil-alt-pop-anthem-hunt-you-down
Rita Dabrowicz
Indieterria 
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