Welcome to the world of Alt Blk Era: a kaleidoscopic project consisting of joint vocalists and sisters Nyrobi and Chaya changing alt-rock like never before. Experimentation is part and parcel of the history of alternative music – we’ve seen it before with The Prodigy, whose sound has famously fluctuated between hardcore punk and electronic rock. But what makes Alt Blk Era different from the rest?
In 2023, their debut ‘Freak Show’ EP put the girls on the map in the music industry, as it earned them well-deserved nominations in the 2024 MOBO and Heavy Music Awards. From that point forward, Alt Blk Era continued to mix their sound up: in some of their earliest singles, ‘Obsession: SOLAR,’ ‘Rockstar,’ and ‘Off With Their Heads,’ they showed off their flavour for rap-rock, mixing alluring drill beats with spellbinding ad libs.
Now, the duo are gearing up to release their highly anticipated debut album ‘Rave Immortal’. The record features 10 cutting-edge tracks, and they are upping their game by experimenting with drum’n’bass influences, guitar-driven hooks, and melodic rock sensibilities.
Nyrobi is an explosive burst of energy who quickly commands an audience with her stargazing storytelling, whilst younger sister Chaya is a key part of the glue to the girls’ forever evolving genre-bending sound. Growing up, Alt Blk Era feasted on a diet of reggae, soul and R&B, but once they took up music, the girls found the alt scene – a place better suited for their angsty energy and feminist, culturally challenging songwriting.
Credit: Dean Chalkley
“We stumbled across this genre with no prime knowledge of what alternative music was,” Nyrobi admits. But when Chaya suggested adding guitar on top of Nyrobi’s rapping, it articulated their sound so perfectly that Nyrobi calls the moment “revolutionary”.
Working with producer Natt Webb, Chaya and Nyrobi have continued to evolve their sound on ‘Rave Immortal’. Opening track ‘Straight to Heart’ is a perfect blend of nonchalant drum’n’bass with a euphoric sound. Meanwhile, following track ‘Come On Outside’ has a grungier ring to it, while ‘Crashing Parties’ bounces back with an adrenaline-driven attitude. “He’s such a good producer,” says Nyrobi. “We completed the process in six days, which was a lot for me.” Chaya adds: “[Natt] was our first producer – he gets us so much.”
On ‘Rave Immortal’, which they describe as a “concept album”, Alt Blk Era document their journey from girls to women. “We wrote the album as teenagers, but the release is due a week before my 21st birthday,” says Nyrobi. “We wanted this to be a mature project, not a teenage rant, and that in 10 years, we would want to put these words in our mouths and repeat them.”
However, this journey to womanhood didn’t come without its struggles – and the sisters found it challenging to open up at times. “It was quite hard to articulate some of the emotions in this one, especially because talking about them for the first time [has been] quite emotional and raw,” says Nyrobi.
“We wanted this to be a mature project – in 10 years, we would want to put these words in our mouths and repeat them” – Nyrobi
“My big secret was the disability I was hiding for so many years,” she continues. “I have chronic fatigue syndrome, which consists of pain, tiredness and brain fog,” she says. You can hear the girls allude to the condition throughout the album: “Don’t you fight the battles by yourself, you’re not supposed to,” Nyrobi sings in ‘Come On Outside.’
For Nyrobi, the first two years of Alt Blk Era were some of the hardest. “I would sleep for 20 hours a day, straight,” she adds. In the past, the singer has gotten through her live shows heavily medicated on prescribed codeine and caffeine: “The half-hour or hour you see me on stage, I’m letting everything go.”
The unyielding energy Nyrobi exudes on stage takes a lot out of the singer, but “being up there is something I love – it’s the only time I feel like myself.” With unconditional support from Chaya and family members, Nyrobi has overcome most of the challenges her disability poses.
‘Rave Immortal’ also represents the turbulence the girls have overcome over the years in conjunction with a celebration of catharsis as they navigate adulthood. For Nyrobi, “‘Rave Immortal’ is less constrained by the alternative scene and is more about our experiences in everyday life and relationships.” As such, the album is also a testament to the band’s admirable resilience to genre-restrictive labels and industry gatekeeping.
Credit: Dean Chalkley
This year alone, Alt Blk Era have proved to be a force to be reckoned with in the alt space. From playing major festivals, Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds to collaborating with Wheatus and most recently headlining Alyx Holcombe’s sold-out Mantra show – it’s fair to say the girls have grown to be an integral part of the alt scene. “It was huge,” says Nyrobi, about headlining Mantra. Over the years, Holcombe has been a streamline of support for the girls through her BBC Radio 1 show and online.
“On a personal level, we really wanted to make Alyx proud because she’s been championing us from the beginning – especially when we felt there were so many gatekeepers in the scene,” says Nyrobi. “We knew we had to put on a brilliant show, she believed in us with every song we put out.”
Moving forward, the girls are dreaming big. While Nyrobi seeks to “collaborate with more artists,” Chaya would “love more of our shows! I love it when our fans know all the words.” “I will never get used to that,” adds Nyrobi. “After our first tour, we’ll see how it goes with my illness, but we’re so excited.” Now, the future is Alt Blk Era’s for the taking.
Alt Blk Era’s ‘Rave Immortal’ is out January 24 via Earache Records
The post Alt Blk Era are the chameleonic sisters making waves in the alt scene appeared first on NME.
