Watch: Allie “Speed Boat Ride”

03 Jul 2014 — Lukas Dubro

In most of his songs, the voice of Berlin-based folk musician Allie is hardly more than a whisper. Of course, folk musicians prefer quiet over loud. And yet, a singer who does the same with such persistency as Allie is hard to find. On all three albums that the singer has released via bandcamp over the past years, he constantly explored the different ways of whispering in your ear, always giving his music a special aura.

But what's that all about? The whisper could be understood as an invitation to come closer. Or maybe a response to modern media, where everyone and everything is shouting at you all the time. The true reason, however, seems to be a lot simpler then that: Allie just likes to sing quietly. This is what the musician used to say about himself on his Facebook page. Another proof for his love for pulled back sounds is given on his bandcamp account where he names Easter being one if his "greatest influences". The music of their last album The Softest Hard, one might say, is the musical synonyme for ultimate softness.

In the new video for his song "Speed Boat Ride", you'll find a Easter reference, too. The fur dog being the main character of the video is listening to their track "Pillo" in his car in the beginning of the clip. Even though the style of the video is fitting to the melancholy that is very present in Allie's work, the song "Speed Boat Ride" taken by itself is an unusual piece: You hear a loud rock guitar and drums. And more than that, a voice which is a little more then only a whisper.

Allie's latest album Uncanny Valley is available via bandcamp.

He's playing some festivals this summer:

07/11/14 Waldstock Festival, Pegnitz
07/19/14 Woody Bash @ Knust, Hamburg
08/01/14 Küchwaldrauschen Festival, Chemnitz
09/13/14 10 Jahre Quartett Booking Festival, Berlin
10/09/14 Aaltra, Chemnitz
10/18/14 King Georg, Cologne
11/22/14 Café NUN, Karlsruhe