As someone who (unfortunately) lives in Florida during what seems like every major historical event of the last 30 years, this EP hit really close to home. It doesn’t take someone living in a “nearly fascist” state to see what’s happening in the United States and around the world during this period of time. Social media has made it very visible, which can be both positive and negative (mostly positive, I’d say). With various pivotal protests at a near-constant level, the first track of this new EP from Altai nearly brought me to tears.
“All At Once” was released on October 10th, just a couple of days ago, and feels so incredibly relevant. Besides the obvious modernity I mentioned, the instrumentals, vocals, and message behind each incredible lyric feel almost palpable.
The EP starts off with a protest song called They Owe Him, a visually descriptive and heart-wrenching track that immediately had me on the hook. These lyrics stood out to me the most on this first song:
There’s a man with his hands in the air
As he stands, he tries to declare
But his voice isn’t heard through the blare
They say who cares
He’ll do for what they want to prove
Everybody’s telling him, he’s a criminal and that’s not right
Try to save your energy
For the fight
Heading into the next song, Like You Need It, is initially driven forward by a heavenly acoustic guitar and silken vocals, a perfect start to what feels like a song of yearning during the cold seasons; yearning for closeness, warmth, love, slow moments in time, and connection. It’s as though the lyrics are begging for the chance to hit the pause button on life, just for a bit, to cherish every other-worldly moment they’re experiencing.
The next two tracks feel like siblings to me somehow. Tell Me When and On Your Own have similar undertones to the second track on this EP. There is a clear want and need for closeness and connection with the person they idolize and stake their happiness in. At the same time, there’s also a subtle grasp for their true self, even if that means losing the old version in return. It’s as though the true yearning is actually FEELING and HEALING, whatever that means or looks like to them.
The fifth and final track of the EP is called Brawl, and it does really feel like a fight song. Not in a physical way, but more of a “fighting for your rights” and “fighting to hold it together” kind of way. All of the songs on this EP have this air of climbing the mountain against all odds sort of atmosphere. “All At Once”, to me, has a way of explaining that there are injustices that will happen, but if we all stand together and do our best to push the boulder up the mountain, at some point, we will make a change and reach the top of that mountain.
There’s always another mountain to climb after you finally reach the summit, but there’s no other option if we want positive change and justice for all human beings. Obviously, there are a few songs that are probably not a part of that macro-scale view, songs that are more personal and intimate, but the overarching message of this EP rings true throughout for me.
The songs are not only important, but they’re GREAT in terms of instrumentation and vocals, placing the millionth cherry on top of this EP. Check out Altai on all streaming services and show them some love on social media!
Written by Newt Fangs
