::: LIVE :::
SAT NOV 14TH - DUBLIN - VILLAGE (with THE DC EXPERIMENT & THE BEAT POETS)
MON NOV 6TH - GALWAY, ROISIN DUBH
FRI NOV 20TH - MULLINGAR, STABLES
SUN NOV 22ND - BELFAST, AUNTIE ANNIES
WED NOV 25TH - DUNDALK, SPIRIT STORE
SAT DEC12TH - WARRENPOINT, SQUARE PEG

Prepare to be blasted by pop delusionists of grandeur. Alphastates deliver their sound under the blanket of unselfconscious art. Fed on Joy division, Billie Holiday, Tom Waits, Sonic Youth, Edith Piaf, Portishead, Velvet Underground, this band will manage to reassure you that there's still urgency, passion, and art left in music.

They continue to blend slow elastic beats with delicously dark pop soundscapes on a grander scale. Graced with the addictively evocative vocals of Catherine Dowling and with music that is beautifully pop yet ethereally alternative. Alphastates have the potential to leave a massive imprint. Human Nature is the follow up to their critically acclaimed "Made from Sand".

Music and misfits always come together. An after-hours gig in a warehouse in Dublin introduced Catherine Dowling to Gerry Horan. Some years later they formed alphastates. In the hands of music composer Gerry Horan, Dowling expressed the dark comedy of the Human Condition. "Pop is a perfect avenue for human tragedy". Shy of performances and people, they hung in the background. She sang her twisted off-kilter melodies over his guitar and electro noise assaults. Other talented misfits joined the melting pot. It started simple and their only goal was to write beautiful songs.

Champagne Glass was the first single taken from their very beautiful second album "Human Nature", the follow up to their critically acclaimed "Made from Sand". "Human Nature" will be released to the public on the 24th April 2009. Already making its way to the dance floors in New York, Champagne Glass is a pop song draped in house beats but smiling through the eyes of disco. Featuring two remixes by acclaimed production duo "Arveene and Misk" and mastered by Nilesh Patel, the face behind the mastering of Daft Punk's Homework, Champagne Glass is a hook-laden pop sparkler that won't leave your head once inside.

Having toured with Cat Power, Mercury Rev, Deus, Zero 7, Sinead O'Connor, The Beta Band to name but a few, alphastates have had their music appear on both Irish and International film productions. They've played Oxegen numerous times as well as the Electric Picnic together with an a number of high profile festivals across Europe. Having recently signed an international publishing deal and currently put the closing stages to the contract with their US record label, "HUMAN NATURE" is to see a release date Stateside at the end of 2009.

With music that is beautifully pop yet ethereally alternative, alphastates have the potential to leave a massive imprint.
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Quotes from the media:

Metro (4/5 stars)... "A triumph"

Hot Press (4/5 stars) ....Groundbreaking, wondrous, exhuberant...Singer Catherine Dowling's presence throughout is a revelation throughout

Sunday Business Post (4/5 stars) - Cool, brooding electronica that recalls other sophisticated female fronted acts such as Portishead and the Cocteau Twins. What really lingers in the memory are those vocals – breathy, vulnerable and disarmingly sexy. Dowling’s oblique lyrics mean that you may not know what she’s on about half the time, but one listen to those hushed tones should be enough to get any male trembling at the knees. Alternately soothing and chilling, Human Nature is never less than an intriguing listen – and you get the impression that Alphastates’ best work is still ahead of them.

Entertainment.ie (4/5 stars)
With their 2004 debut, 'Made From Sand', Alphastates became one of the most underrated bands on the Irish music scene, not only because they were ahead of their peers in terms of mixing guitar driven indie with electro pop sounds, but also because of their dark fragility and beautifully truthful lyrics. Now that the scene's caught up to them, 'Human Nature' sees Alphastates develop that sound and delve further into the realm of danceable pop music.

Catherine Dowling's sultry haze of a voice is the defining and pre-eminent feature, as ever, as it shifts and softly cracks above both catchy hooks and soft vibes. The bassy synth hook of lead single 'Champagne Glass' vindicates its success on the dancefloors of New York, while the rough-edged riff and distorted punk guitars of 'The Record Machine' show that the band formerly known as Babelfish still know how to rock out.

But it's the stark contrast between these upbeat pop numbers and the mellower, more reflective tracks, which ooze an introspective aching, that makes 'Human Nature' an album with real depth. The plonking synths, building strings and delayed vocals of 'Swimming' construct the perfect watery backdrop for its subject matter, while atmospheric closer 'Comfort in Silence' ambles from its droning instrumental opening through discreet vocal passageways with ease and grace. If only more Irish bands had this kind of range.

Irish Times (3/5 stars)
Inspirational.....