Move On With The Year: Alice Costelloe's Debut Album Is As Authentic As It Gets

Written by Joe Pearson

Photography by Joe Pearson

In early February, Alice Costelloe released her debut album titled “Move On With The Year”. Consisting of ten tracks, this art pop record is a deeply personal endeavour for Alice, as she looks within herself to explore her feelings surrounding her father’s long-term struggle with addiction and substance abuse. It’s a turbulent listen from start to finish, with lyricism that is incredibly raw, honest and occasionally heartbreaking. Don’t be mistaken though, the often dark subject matter is uplifted by a fantastic blend of soothing melodies, multi-layered synths and a variety of woodwind instruments, creating a distinct sound that is refreshingly unique. Whilst most of the tracks reflect on difficult times both past and present, there are also elements of embracing a shift towards feelings of acceptance and a yearning for a brighter future. 

Following the release, Alice embarked on a mini tour playing MOWTY in full at several intimate venues across the UK, ahead of the main tour in October. One of these shows was at Sidney & Matilda in Sheffield, where we were able to speak before the gig on a variety of topics including her outlook on creativity in the modern era, how it feels to be emotionally vulnerable, influences that helped shape the album’s sound, and her plans for the rest of the year. 

Which song from the album was the most enjoyable to create or record? 


“I think the song from the album that was the most enjoyable to record was probably “How Can I?” which is the 2nd song on the album. When we got the sound for that, we kind of knew the whole album was going to be okay. Once we got in the layers of the different instruments, it was like a bit of a template for what we were going to do with everything else, so I kind of breathed a big sigh of relief once we got that in. Then it started to feel a bit fun, you know?”

This album is clearly very personal and authentic to you. Were you ever nervous about revealing so much of yourself and private life through these tracks, or did you find it to be a useful way of processing things?

“I think I actually only started to worry about it once I'd already made the record, by which point it was too late. I was really struggling to write and I only had about 6 months to write it. I just decided to stop trying to think of what I thought were interesting things to write and just go with whatever came naturally. When I did that, all of the songs suddenly came within a couple of months, so it was more a case of like, that was the album that I got. 

I wasn't worried about it. I think because I felt like in my mind, I went into it thinking it would be quite vague and it would be quite hidden. When we were recording it in the studio, the producer, who I've worked with lots and is a good friend, thought the whole record was about a breakup with an ex. We got a few days in, we were tracking it, and there's a particular track about a part of New Zealand where my family is from, and he suddenly turned around and looked at me and was like, what's this album about? And then suddenly he got it and then after that he was like, you know, you shouldn't change anything you've written - obviously this is how you want it to be, but when you put the album out, I think you need to be a bit more explicit about what it's about, because I've been in a room with you all this time and I thought this was about a guy, like a romantic record. So after he said that, I think I tried to take it on board and thought if the record's going to mean something to people, I'm going to have to have the guts to kind of be honest about what it's about. It's been quite interesting playing it live, I feel like I've had a lot of like sweet dads at the merch stand being really nice to me. But yeah, I'm okay with it. I think it's better to just own it because it's out there now.”

There's a lot of interesting instrumentation used throughout the record. Was there a song which had a major influence on the rest of the album’s sound, or was this developed over time? 

“Yeah, definitely. So I was writing these terrible, terrible songs on guitar just before I started working on this album, and they were just so boring and bad and so then I just started messing around with woodwind instruments and electronic synths. Once I started doing that I was like, this is so uncool, but this is exactly what is inside my brain so I'm just gonna have to go with it… I wrote Anywhere Else first, the 1st track on the album. And I don't know, I think because I've always been in indie bands and indie rock bands, to me it felt mental to be putting flutes and recorders on a track, whereas I'm sure to lots of more arty people, it's like really normal. But when I was writing that, I was so embarrassed that my neighbours would hear me. I was doing all these recorder things, like really quietly, hoping they can't hear. After that I just came back and I was like, do you know what? this just sounds exactly like what's inside my head and I'm just gonna have to go with it to get this album finished. That track really made me understand what the sound was that could be uniquely mine and wasn't trying to be like anyone else’s, so that was kind of how I wrote the rest of the record”.

In an age of algorithms, AI, financial pressures, social media followers etc, a lot of artists spend a lot of time worrying about the current state of the industry. Did these issues ever distract you from being creative and were there any ways that you helped to overcome this?

“Interesting! I have been on lots of different labels and experienced lots of different ways of working so I feel like I've got quite a spectrum of experience of labels that are super hands-on, and labels that are super hands off, and everything in between. For me personally, I just felt super lucky to be able to be supported enough to work with the producer I wanted to work with. That was my main thing, it was like, I knew I could write the songs, but I knew I couldn't produce them to the kind of standard that I wanted them to be at. It was Mike Lindsay, who produced it, and he is on the same label as me. So it was kind of an instant connection through that. 

I would say I wouldn't have been able to write this record if I hadn't used so many things like blocking devices to block Instagram and everything off my phone because when you've got like a finite amount of time, those things can just suck up your whole life. So for me, I really tried to stay away from all the ways in which people would promote their music whilst I was writing, because I knew I wouldn't get it finished in time otherwise. And I do think the industry is really hard now in terms of there's no money for anything, but there's still really great records being made. There's still good music and you can find it everywhere. I just think people have to go to shows and that's the best way they can actually support artists because if enough people show up at someone's show and buy their merch, that's so much more beneficial than a million Spotify streams for most people”. 

Were there any recent sources of inspiration that influenced you creatively while producing this album? 

 “I really love Cate Le Bon. 
I listened to a lot of her. I tried to listen to some stuff I'd never listened to before, like some Joni Mitchell and kind of things that I felt were a thing you were supposed to listen to. But I would say one of my biggest influences was actually taking myself outside of my own head. Not in, you know, a waste man kind of way” she jokes “But I tried to go and see lots of art exhibitions and did some things I wouldn't usually do, like life drawing and adventures in the city. I just tried to enjoy London not as a kind of jaded person that's lived there their whole life, but as if I was a tourist. That really helped me because I spent so much time alone in my home studio, that once I started adding in these little adventures, I really felt connected to being a creative person as opposed to just stuck at my office job of creating an indie album in 6 months. 
So, yeah, I was really embarrassingly inspired by the city of London and all the kinds of culture within it. And I tried to listen to lots of records whilst I was walking around the city and that massively helped me get it done”. 

What are you looking forward to the most for the rest of the year? 

“Definitely getting to go to Europe for the first time with this project and play some European festivals like Left Of The Dial in Rotterdam, which I've always wanted to do. I'm also just about to announce a Paris show. I think because I've been making music since I was a kid, I have not really done that much of the kind of travelling that maybe kids tend to do when they leave school or that kind of thing, so when I get to go to European cities, I really feel like I'm getting that interrailing experience. In terms of festivals there's also the End Of The Road Festival. There's just so many artists I love playing there such as CMAT, Mac DeMarco, and Kurt Vile. When you get booked for a festival and the whole lineup is the same as your music taste and the choices that you would put on, it's just pretty insane”. 

Alice goes on to play a flawless set. The gentle opener “Anywhere Else” warms up the crowd's ears and does a great job of balancing out the later more upbeat ambient grooves of “How Can I” and “Damned If You Do”. All of the hard work and creative processes involved in the making of this record are clearly paying off, as each track translates perfectly to a live setting and makes for a fantastic listening experience. The room hangs on to every word during “Feet On The Sand”, a slower track with deeply poignant storytelling. Halfway through the set, she invites the crowd to move closer to the stage, a perfect embodiment of the record itself, drawing in all those who listen as they find themselves being carried along the journey with her. 

It’s clear from this release that Alice has established a strong sense of identity as an artist, carving out her own lane to create a sound that is uniquely hers. Not afraid to be experimental, and with a voice so authentic and open, she is definitely someone that you should be paying close attention to.