Afternoon Sister is a young indie rock band from the Boise, Idaho area, but there is already a surprisingly clear sense of identity behind the project. Fronted by 14-year-old singer and songwriter Alice Ventura, the band recently introduced itself with Reset E.P., a five-song collection that moves between heavier guitar-driven songs and softer, atmospheric moments.
For Alice, music has been part of her life from an early age. Growing up around her father’s love for jazz, 90s pop, The Beatles, Henry Mancini and Herb Alpert eventually led her to start writing her own songs. With encouragement from her father, Afternoon Sister began to take shape, although building a teenage band in Boise came with its own challenges.
The songs on Reset E.P. reflect a young songwriter processing real experiences rather than simply trying to sound mature. “Ache,” for example, came from a difficult period when Alice started at a new school and experienced teasing, exclusion and friendship problems. She turned that experience into a song about loneliness, faith and finding her way through what she describes as a personal “desert” or wilderness.
Her musical influences are equally varied, with Neil Young, Chromatics, Mazzy Star, Air and The High Llamas helping shape the sound of the EP. Yet Alice is not interested in overcomplicating her music. She and her father deliberately kept the recordings raw and avoided overproduction, while musician and producer Ray Hedgpeth helped bring the songs to their finished form.
In this interview, Alice talks about discovering songwriting, the challenges of building a band at 13, the personal story behind “Ache,” her musical influences, recording Reset E.P., and what she hopes to explore next. She also opens up about learning that music is not just about hitting the right notes, but about making listeners believe what you are expressing.
How did you first get into music, and what inspired you to start writing songs and eventually form Afternoon Sister?
As far as I remember, music was always playing around my house. My Dad would always listen to jazz music at night and 90s pop during the day. I was a Henry Mancini fan before I was 10 years old, then moved on to Herb Alpert and the Beatles. I would say after I started listening to the Beatles I started writing my own music. My Dad encouraged me to start a band so that’s when Afternoon Sister started.
At 14, you are already leading a band and preparing to release your debut EP. What has the experience of being a young artist taught you about yourself so far?
Yes, I’m very excited about our debut 😀I started asking my friends to join my band a year ago when I was 13, but my friends weren’t into music like I was so that was challenging (they were more interested in Lord of the Rings and all that geeky stuff). Boise Idaho isn’t the easiest place to play shows, especially with a teenage band, that’s also tough. Building the songs was hard so I had my Dad and his friend Ray help me take my songs to the next level. I think being patient and to keep my eye on the goal through many obstacles is the biggest lesson I learned so far.
Reset E.P. moves between heavier guitar-driven songs and quieter, atmospheric moments. What were you hoping to express through that contrast, and how did you decide which direction each song should take?
I blame the French band Air and the High Llamas for my love of atmospheric sounds. I’m such a big fan of those bands. I would say the Chromatics and Neil Young are my inspirations for RESET E.P. There’s something about simple, rock music that’s attractive to me. Obviously the louder songs capture my frustrations like Ache and Don’t Cross Yer Fingers and the chilled-out songs like Night Drive and Reset are the fun, love songs..not a new concept I guess.
“Ache” carries a strong feeling of loneliness, longing and wanting to reconnect with someone. What inspired the song, and what does it mean to you personally?
There was a period last year when I started a new school and my friends started teasing me and would talk bad about me behind my back. Some friends wanted all the attention and didn’t include me in anything. Ache pretty much captures that moment. I remember reading my bible and learning to choose my friends wisely and that God led his people through terrible situations in the past…so why not me? In a sense the desert/wilderness picture was me going through that bad time.
Your music draws from artists such as Neil Young, Chromatics, Mazzy Star and Air. What do you take from those influences when you are writing or creating music, and how do you make sure your own identity remains at the center?
I know the Neil Young Unplugged record front to back since my Dad would ALWAYS play it on long road trips (that sound is forever grained in my head). My uncle gave me an Air Moon Safari record as a Christmas gift so I listened to that until I couldn’t anymore. I feel like the Chromatics are a good blend of those bands and my Dad inspired me to try the sound. I think my natural singing voice is similar to Ruth’s Radelet’s TBH.
All five songs on Reset E.P. were written by Alice Ventura and Afternoon Sister. What is your songwriting process like, and how does the band contribute when a song moves from an idea into a finished recording?
I wrote my music by putting guitar chords together, then putting piano melodies to them on GarageBand. I showed my Dad my music and that’s when he wanted to help structure it. He also helped shape the lyrics so it was simple and to the point. After we tracked the songs, we sent it to his long-time musician friend Ray Hedgpeth to add other instruments, mix and master it. That’s pretty much how our EP came about. We agreed not to over-produce anything and keep it raw and not sound fake in any way.
The EP was recorded at Cumulus and M51, with Ray Hedgpeth handling the engineering, production, mixing and mastering. What was the recording experience like, and what did you learn from working with Ray?
Guitars, drums and vocals were recorded at my dad’s studio here in Idaho. He helped track my vocals and it was A LOT harder than I thought it would be! He taught me to not only be on pitch, but to have a good rhythm and mood. He would always tell me to make the listeners really believe what I was expressing. I didn’t know all that emotion came with writing and recording. It was my first time recording melody and harmony together…it was the ultimate crash course. Ray is 100% professional and a 100% gentleman, so it was really fun watching him contribute to the music.
Was there a particular song on Reset E.P. that was more challenging to create or record than the others, and how did you overcome that challenge?
I would say the song Reset was the most challenging. I wanted to have a smooth, airy, open sound and it was hard drawing out the vocals. Thankfully, I used to take trumpet lessons so that helped me to push through my core like I’m supposed to. Singing harmony on that track was the most challenging as far as syncing with the melody. Thankfully it sounded pretty cool at the end IMO.
Looking at Afternoon Sister as a band, what do you think makes your sound and approach different from other young indie rock bands, and what do you want listeners to understand about your music?
I think I learned early that being loud and aggressive isn’t always the best way to express your thoughts as most kids my age do. It’s easy to start a punk band and be angry at the world. I wanted to sound like the bands I listen to and they’re good at expressing their feelings without the screaming. I would like the listeners to know that my music isn’t life changing, but a set of simple, catchy songs that gets my point across perfectly.
With Reset E.P. marking the beginning of this journey, what are you hoping to explore next as an artist and as a band?
TBH, I haven’t thought about the next songs. I have a handful I’ve been working on but I want to take a break for a couple of months. I’ve been listening to the Cardigans First Band on the Moon a lot so maybe I can perk up my music a bit to match that cleverness/energy. I also want to focus on my live shows too so keep an eye out!
