Like many/most who were immediately taken with Alvvays’ dreamy indie-pop from the get-go, I’d prefer not to be reminded that that self-titled debut album came out a full decade ago this week. Especially since I’d been following the band for a full year and half before then, since first seeing the soon-to-be hometown heroes back in November 2012.
But 10 years old it is, and at least it is being appropriately celebrated. Paste has an expansive cover story on the band where they talk at length with Molly Rankin and Alec O’Hanley about the making of Alvvays and their lives before and after its release:
Now, Alvvays and Forever @ Paste
While Stereogum also marks its anniversary with a length piece, albeit without the conversations with the band:
Similarly, Rolling Stone marks a decade of indie-pop excellence with supporting bits from past features on the band (subscription only, but I’m a subscriber so there):
Alvvays’ Debut Turns 10: Celebrating the Best Indie-Pop Record of the 2010s @ Rolling Stone
For their part, the band are re-releasing a remastered version of the record on November 15 with an extra bonus track, “Underneath Us” along with a poster designed by album producer Chad VanGaalen. I feel like I should buy a copy of the new release because O’Hanley wouldn’t let me pay for my copy at the Horseshoe album release show in August 2014 (from whence the above photo comes), a thank you for being an early booster of the band.
The band has also commissioned an upscaled and remastered version of the video for opening track “Adult Diversions”, about which video director Colin Medley says:
Recently got asked to do a new 4K version of a music video I made for Alvvays ten years ago. I got the old super 8 film rescanned by Frame Discreet and then edited the whole video again using the old version as reference. Should be exactly as you remember, just crisper and more vibrant (plus 4×3, so the top and bottom of the frame aren’t cut off anymore). Cool!
