Change.
Videos by American Songwriter
What a scary word, right?
For Alaia D’Alessandro, co-front person of the Seattle-based rock band Tres Leches, along with multi-instrumentalist Ulises Mariscal, the idea is necessary, if not rather difficult. It’s also the thesis of her band’s latest single, “Strangest of Friends.”
D’Alessandro, who was introduced to music early on by family but took to writing it later in life, says envisioning a new future is important both creatively and personally. It’s not something to fear, but rather embrace, if at all possible.
“Sometimes,” D’Alessandro says, “for reasons we may never understand we have to let relationships change even if it feels terribly twisted at the moment. ‘Strangest of Friends’ came about from that messy process of trying to hang onto something that needed to change.”
She adds: “Love manifests in many ways, and even when you don’t have that entity physically with you, that love can still exist and manipulate things in beautiful ways, sometimes in ways you don’t even notice.
“While the ‘goodbye and hello’ in the song stems from another entity, the experience of letting change happen ultimately leads to a goodbye and hello to a new self,” she continues. “‘Strangest of Friends’ comes from that experience.”
Check out the song and accompanying music video, in which D’Alessandro begins singing and playing guitar nude, below.
On the striking new video, D’Alessandro says: “[It is about] the simple act of clothing yourself. Putting on a protective layer. Within that act is the power struggle of vulnerability. What can you do with that vulnerability? How do you use it? Do you let it consume you? Do you let it change you? Let it manifest something?
“In this case, we used it to create something very tender, intense, and honest,” she adds.”I hope it will help people the same way making the video helped me process my own strange struggles.”
For Tres Leches, which is one of Seattle’s most popular hometown rock bands these days, there is much to look forward to amidst a constant swirl of change. The band recently signed to the respected record label Devil in the Woods, which also likely portends a new LP in 2022.
So, while D’Alessandro admits feelings of being stuck, there is much more ahead.
“‘Strangest of Friends’ is about a point in my life where I was very stuck,” she says, “and I didn’t even realize it because I had been stuck for so long that the familiarity of it felt good. I learned that even though I wasn’t able to get myself unstuck, that’s okay because life will find a way to unstick you.
“I wasn’t ready for this new start by any means, at the same time, it was sorely needed,” she shares. “It’s bittersweet goodbyes and hellos all at once. It’s a choice to allow yourself to be overwhelmed with an unknown moment and to turn towards your unknown selves.”
Now, for the band, which is known for creating a wide-ranging set of songs while members switch instruments on the fly, the hope is to instill a message of personal satisfying evolution to their fans, both with their new single and with their general energetic output.
“We just hope,” D’Alessandro says, “that this song helps people find something that’s for themselves.”
Photo courtesy Tres Leches
