Having last crossed my path with their debut single Valentine a couple of years ago, it is only fitting that Alice and The Lovers are back on the radar with an equally seasonal song, this time one which slots right into the more ghoulish themes of the Halloween vibe. Boneyard is the perfect blend of the band’s inherent light and shade, one that balances the harmonies and pop grooves of the classic girl-group era with the edge of nineties alt-rock and US college radio, and more than tips a jaunty angled hat to 70’s pop-rock. And it is the band’s ability to walk this line between the infectious and commercially viable, and the underground and more discerning rock tastes, something, it should be noted, that it took Hole three albums to get right, which sets them apart from the pack. And if Boneyard was touted as a lost track from the seminal Celebrity Skin album, few questions would be asked, except perhaps why this wasn’t released as the second single.
Recorded at The Lighterthief Bunker under the watchful eye of Messrs. Rowe and Partridge, it comes as no surprise that it was mixed by none other than Mike Chapman, a name entwined with seminal, female led bands such as Blondie and Suzi Quatro. If you like your pop music with a mean streak and a dash of vitriol or indeed your rock music with an accessible and contagious groove then Alice and The Lovers do it much better than most.
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