Love songs are easy to fake. Real yearning is not. The Altons know the difference.
For the last decade, the East Los Angeles band has been building a sound that drips with ache, devotion and the kind of romantic desperation that makes people text their ex at 1 a.m. Their music doesn’t hide behind any irony; it would rather walk straight into heartbreak with flowers in hand.
Now with Heartache in Room 14, released last year (on Valentine’s Day, of course) through Daptone Records, The Altons have fully settled into their velvet shadows of modern “souldies.” This record truly sounds lived in. Slow dances under dim lights. Cigarette burns on motel carpet. The feeling of wanting somebody back even when you know better.
Bandmates Bryan Ponce (co-lead vocals, guitar), Adriana Flores (co-lead vocals), Chris “Bolillo” Manjarrez (bass) and Caitlin Moss (drums) carry the music with complete sincerity, forgoing the gimmicks or retro cosplay. This is soul music played by people who genuinely understand longing as a lifestyle.
“The process has kind of always been the same,” says Ponce. Songs usually begin with a melody or chord progression before the band shapes the feeling together in the studio.
Working with legendary producer Gabe Roth, also known as Bosco Mann, gave the band space to deepen the textures and emotion behind the record. Recording on tape demanded precision and intention from every member.
“I’ve had to pinch myself multiple times because I was such a fangirl in the beginning,” says Flores.
But there isn’t just one track we could point you to truly experience the sound of The Altons. There are elements of Motown, psychedelia, sweet Spanish duets, lush arrangements and cinematic elements that make listening to the entire album well worth your time.
The album’s core comes from growing up in LA, where musical identity is never boxed into one thing. Soul exists next to punk and hip-hop. Old corridos blast from backyard parties and oldies echo through passing cars at night. The Altons absorb all of it.
Manjarrez laughs while admitting his love for Coldplay. Flores pulls inspiration from Aussie punk act Amyl and the Sniffers and indie band Wet Leg when thinking about lyrics. Moss gravitates toward jazz, hip-hop and experimental music. Somehow all those threads collapse into something seamless once The Altons start playing together.
That emotional honesty has connected them with audiences far beyond California. And there’s a generational throughline that’s taking physical form at their shows. Audiences of all ages pack into venues to soak in and dance to this timeless sound.
“Sometimes we go to the middle of nowhere and wonder if people are going to show up and then it’s a packed room,” says Flores. “When we started traveling more, we started realizing that Latinos are everywhere.”
And so is longing.
“Everybody’s a little romantic,” says Manjarrez.
Flores agrees. “Latinos are yearners for real.”
The Altons are not trying to reinvent soul music. They’re reigniting it by making it personal again. Which is much harder, but they’re doing a damn good job of it.
THE ALTONS With Introverted Funk. May 29, 7 p.m., $32+. Fergusons Downtown, wethebeat.com.
