Alpine’s Phoebe Baker will only have one thing on her mind at this year’s Mountain Sounds Festival, and it’s not the fresh mountain air or the wide open spaces.

“Maybe there will be a few romantic late-night jam sessions with Albert Hammond, Jr. – who knows?” she laughs. “Oh gosh, I would love that! I would be like, ‘Hey Albert, come over to my tent. We’ve got some fruit and tequila.’”

If for some reason Baker’s plan doesn’t work out, she’ll surely find others willing to have a sing-along back at Alpine’s campsite. This year the event organisers have assembled a stellar lineup of local, national and international acts such as Violent Soho, Art vs Science, The Delta Riggs, The Lazys, Holy Holy, Jack Beats, and of course The Strokes’ Hammond, Jr., cementing Mountain Sounds’ reputation as a well-run and highly anticipated event among music lovers on the Central Coast.

“We can’t wait to stay overnight,” Baker says. “I don’t like playing a gig and then having to leave. It’s much nicer if you can stay, see all the bands and get involved in the action, and this festival is a great opportunity to do that.

“I love it when we play up north. Especially in the summertime when the frangipanis are in bloom. I spent some of my childhood in Vanuatu and we had frangipani flowers there, so whenever I see them it makes me so nostalgic and happy, and I feel at home. I love that holiday vibe.”

Despite Baker’s desire to whip up a few tequila cocktails and soak up the sun, she says 2016 may be Alpine’s busiest year yet. “At the end of last year we all got together for a little band meeting to assess where we were all at, and we all said we wanna keep doing this – we don’t want to stop. We were all on the same page, so there’s definitely no slowing down at this stage.”

Alpine, as we know them today, formed in 2009 via a musical game of six degrees of separation. Dual frontwomen Baker and Lou James are old school chums who have always sung together. Phil Tucker (drums) and Christian O’Brien (guitar) grew up together in the small township of Phillip Island. One day O’Brien overheard the girls’ hypnotic melodies and jumped at the chance to work with them. Meanwhile, James attended university with Tim Royall (keys), and the girls met backpacker Ryan Lamb (bass) late one night at Melbourne’s Cherry Bar. Soon enough, the six decided that together they made a formidable musical team, and collaboration was the only way forward. “Wow! That feels so long ago now,” Baker says. “We’ve grown up a lot!”

Their debut album A Is For Alpine was released in 2012 to critical and commercial acclaim, with their single ‘Gasoline’ reaching number 31 in triple j’s Hottest 100 of 2012. “That initial success helped me to overcome the shyness I felt at the time,” Baker admits. “I feel a lot less inhibited than I used to, and when it comes to writing and performing, that’s so liberating.”

Their follow-up album of last year, Yuck, showcases the sextet’s new-found confidence. Guided once again by producer and friend Dann Hume (with O’Brien taking on a co-production role), Alpine created a sexy and sophisticated musical mash-up inspired by their individual influences. “We’re not just into pop,” explains Baker. “We like rock’n’roll, psychedelic, glam, reggae, R&B, and we listen to a lot of hip hop on the road.”

Lyrically, Baker and James explore a range of emotions on Yuck, and it’s easy to be drawn in by their gorgeous harmonies. Feelings of lust, heartbreak, jealousy and confusion are put under the microscope. “It feels so good to have the freedom to say what you’re thinking,” says Baker.

Lead single ‘Foolish’ recently came in 57th in the triple j Hottest 100 of 2015. Now, determined to continue their winning streak (and eventually break the top ten of that prestigious countdown), Baker says Alpine are already working on new music.

“We’ve started writing and we’re excited to create new sounds – a third album is definitely on the cards for this year. Then hopefully we’ll get to spend the rest of the time playing shows. Our favourite thing is to be on the road. We will do anything – we’ll get naked!” she jokes. “Just kidding – only in the dark if we’re skinny-dipping.”

Alpine playMountain Sounds Festival 2016,Mt Penang Parklands, Kariong, onSaturday February 20.Yuck is outnow through Ivy League.

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