ACE ALTERNATIVE

TOP 10
BREAK-UP
SONGS

HOW BANDS , SUCH

AS MT. JOY, ARE STILL
HAVING CONCERTS
IN A PANDEMIC

A Uaugust
G U S T 22020
0 2 01
TABL E OF C ON T ENTS
4... Letter from the Editor Image of The 1975

5... Masthead

6... How Bands Such As Mt. Joy

Are Still Having Concerts in a
Pandemic

10... Not Even a Year Since

Image of Hippo Campus
Her Last Album Release,
Taylor Swift Drops New Album
folklore

12... Album Review for Punisher

by Phoebe Bridgers

13... Top 10 Songs for a Breakup

Image of Local Natives

14... New Music to get Excited

About for the Remainder of
2020

15... Favorite Artist of the

Month
2
3
 Letter from the
Editor
A letter from Editor-
in-Chief, Lindsey
Hardison

M usic is one thing every person uni-

versally experiences. Music has been
around for centuries, constantly taking on
new forms. It’s a form of creative expres-
sion that can have a plethora of meanings,
even when a song doesn’t have lyrics. Mu-
sic is what connects us to other people and
so many bonds are built off of it. It’s some-
thing so beautiful hearing someone write
about an experience that you yourself have
gone through as well. Music allows us to
feel seen.

Music has always been one of my greatest night together.

passions in life. Nothing in this world has
been able to give me the same intense,
emotional response as music does. My mu-
sic taste has changed throughout the years,
but no matter what, it will always be a part
of who I am.
I started going to concerts alone when I
was 18 because listening to live music is
when I’m happiest. Being in the pit of a
concert for the first time is an experience
you’ll never forget. Concerts allows us to
meet people and connect with others who
have the same love for an artist as we do.
Even if we never talk to those next to us
at a concert ever again, you still have that
Ace Alternative is here to bring new mu-
sic to your ears that will stay with you for
years We value the opinions of our fellow
music lovers to bring you content talking
about everything music. Giving you those
music recommendations that will make
you cry, and talking about the concert ex-
periences you will never forget. Everyone
has a unique relationship with music, and
Ace wants to hear all those stories.
Here’s to finding your next favorite song,
Lindsey
4
 MASTHEAD
Current Favorite
Favorite Song ofSong
the
Month
Editor-in-Chief Lindsey Hardison Bug Eyes by Mt. Joy

Copy Editing Samantha Phillips Alabama by Night

Moves

Writing Katherine Smith Robbers by The 1975

Take a Walk by The

Production Editor David Walters
Head and the Heart

Editorial Assistant Victor Fitzpatrick Shane’s Song by

Houndmouth

Read my Mind by the

Senior Designer Louise Black
Killers

Digital Editor Thelma Evans Sign of the Times by

Harry Styles

seven by Taylor Swift

Design Editor Zach Graham

5
How Bands, such as Mt. Joy,
are still having Concerts in a
Pandemic By Lindsey Hardison
I f there’s one thing everyone has been miss-
ing in 2020, it’s concerts. It’s an other
worldly feeling being surrounded by a bunch
of strangers who you’ll most likely never see
again, but for that one day you’re all connect-
ed. Screaming back the lyrics to an artist you
love that you’ve created your own meaning
and feelings to. I usually would average any-
where between 5-10 concerts a year, and I’m
currently at zero for the year with no signs of
that changing.
Many artists have taken a
hit this year due to practi-
cally all concerts coming
to a complete stand still.
Some artists even post-
poned tours until next
year in hopes of things
getting better. As the
pandemic has continued
to move forward and
rage on, artists have been
taking alternative routes
to still play live music for
their fans.
I think the most common one I’ve seen has
been artists doing livestreams for their fans.
Some are doing it for free and all you have
to do is click a simple link, while others are
still selling tickets and you have to pay for it.
I have mixed feelings on having people pay
money to watch a livestream, but I also un-
derstand it’s hard for these artists to make
money right now.
Other things I’ve seen are old concerts
being aired online. Although it isn’t in
real time, at least their fans are still able
to watch some sort of live performance. I
think this is common with music festivals
from previous years being re-aired since
those are usually filmed rather than a regu-
lar concert on tour.
One band that is doing
something different is al-
ternative-folk group Mt.
Joy. They’re a Los Angeles
based band from Philadel-
phia, and they released their
sophomore album, Rear-
range us, in June of this
year. The band is composed
of members Matt Quinn,
Sam Cooper, Sotiris Elio-
polous, Jackie Miclau, and
Michael Byrnes. Their first
single, “Astrovan,” was released in 2016,
with their debut album, Mt. Joy, not being
released until 2018.
Fans were eager for new music from the
band as it had been almost two years since
any release. Mt. Joy did not disappoint
when they came out with their first single
6
off the second album in October
titled “Rearrange Us.” The song
really set the tone for what the al-
bum would be like. What Mt. Joy
does so effortlessly is write songs
that have upbeat instruments, but
the lyrics just hit you straight in
the heart. As 2019 came to a close
and 2020 began, they continued
to release singles from the album,
with it ultimately coming out in
June.
This album is indescribable. The
impact it has had on me within the
last couple of months is something I
never would have expected. I was intro-
duced to Mt. Joy in September of 2019
and I thought they were okay, but now
they are my favorite band. The way
they write about heartbreak, mental ill-
ness, friendships, etc., is something so
beautiful and has brought me to tears
many times.
When the pandemic hit, Mt. Joy was
in the middle of touring with The Lu-
mineers to promote Rearrange Us and
were beginning to give the album life.
The singles and album overall seemed
to be well received by their usual listeners, and
I believe this album brought even more into
their circle. Since the album came out during
the pandemic, they had to come up with a new
way to still perform the album live.
What they decided to do was a series of drive-
in concerts across the country, ranging from
Chicago to Houston. What works out so great
with this idea is that you can still go to a con-
cert with a bunch of your friends and hear
the music from the comfort of your car. It is
socially distanced and you get a lot more for
the price since you’re still physically seeing the
artist in person.
This alternative form of
performance seemed to do
well for the band consid-
ering they sold out almost
every one of their shows.
Although this worked for
Mt. Joy in the current
time with warm weather
still being around, it won’t
be like this forever. NPR.
org stated how music ven-
ues are taking a huge hit
7
currently because of the pandemic as well.
Many smaller venues are severly struggling
without having artists touring. This could
lead to many more problem because if all
these venues are shutting down, then once
it’s okay for artisits to perform again, it
could make it more difficult to actually book
venues.
All in all, it’s a weird time for artists, fans,
and music venues all around the world. Go-
ing into colder months, I think we will see
livestream concerts make a return as drive-
in, socially distant shows will be harder to
come by.
Another struggle with this is that artists
aren’t able to make as much money as they
usually would from touring, whether it be
from the ticket sales or merch sales. I hope
we can return to crowded room concerts
someday soon.
8
9
Not Even a Year since her Last Album
Release, Taylor Swift Drops New
Album folklore
By Lindsey Hardison

T aylor Swift came out with her seventh

studio album, Lover, in August of 2019.
It was well received by fans, but if I’m be-
ing honest, it almost feels like a forgotten
album. It was very poppy and filled with
love songs, opposed to her sixth album,
reputation, which had a much angrier feel
to it. I personally was not impressed by
Lover. It was very generic and had nothing
really special about it. There were a few
songs off the album I enjoyed, specifically
“Death by a Thousand Cuts” and “The Ar-
cher,” but other than those two, none of the
songs were really rememberable. This is all
coming from a Taylor Swift fan of over 10
years, so am I in no way hating on her.

After this album came out, I genuinely did

not pay much mind to it. I’d continue lis-
tening to her other albums on my all-Tay-
lor Swift playlist, usually skipping over
those songs. This was the first Swift album
that left me feeling disappointed. However,
she redeemed herself much quicker than
anyone was expecting her to.
On July 23rd, Swift announced across her
social media platforms that she would be
releasing her eighth studio album, folklore,
that evening. When I tell you my whole
world was rocked, I am not exaggerating.
No words could express the level of excite-
ment I was feeling when I found out that I
would be getting a completely new Taylor
album that evening. Folk is one of my fa-
vorite music genres, and also a genre Swift
had yet to explore.
new cottage core trend. She had merch with mut-
ed colors, such as greens and browns, a cardigan,
mug, keychain, etc. There was something about
this album that I knew I was going to love, even
having not heard a single song from it yet. All my
social timelines were flooded with folklore news
and photoshoots, and I think a lot of people were
having the same feelings as I was.
Once it hit 11 p.m. and the album dropped on
streaming services, it was time for me to cozy up
for the night and consume the album. Never has
any album ever made me cry so much as this one
did. Every song hit so deeply and resonated with
so many things going on in my life. It felt like this
album was made for me. Talking about ex-lov-
ers who you wish you could’ve worked things
out with, to feeling as though you aren’t good

A bunch of new merchandise dropped on

10
her website that day as well, fitting into the

enough.
She worked with some big names on
this album, such as Aaron Dessner from
The National. This well an extremely
well-rounded album where every song built
off one another. She did an interesting
twist with this album and told stories with
her songs, not necessarily pertaining to her
own experiences. She explained how songs
“Betty,” “Cardigan,” and “August,” were
supposed to be about a high school love tri-
angle. In a lot of these songs, she’s almost
“taking on a different character,” than
herself. Many were confused as to how
this was an album focused so much
on heartbreak and despair, mean-
while she’s been in an over four-year
long relationship with boyfriend Joe
Alwin. I think this taking on charac-
ters was a very unique and admirable
choice. She’s writing about these
real-world experiences that so many
people connect with. I was talking
about this album with people who are
currently in relationships themselves,
and they said how so many of these
songs still made them emotional and
reflect on relationships they’ve had in
the past.
The night of the album release, the music vid-
eo for the first single off the album, “Cardigan,”
was released as well. It was filmed in a socially
distant manner, and Swift even did her own
hair and makeup for it. In the video, she trav-
els from varying locations through her piano,
overall being shot beautifully.
I think Taylor exceeded everyone’s expecations
with this album, and it showcased her artistic
talentry beautifully.
11
 Punisher by
Phoebe Bridgers
Album Review
By Lindsey Hardison

P
hoebe Bridgers is an alternative artist that I’ve seen
grow a lot in popularity within the last year. I first
listened to her debut album, Stranger in the Alps,
earlier this year and was happy to find out her sopho- In “Halloween,” she talks about how her and her
more album, Punisher, would be debuting in June. partner can be anything for the night and pretend
they don’t have problems. She’s practically begging
Something I really enjoy about Bridgers music is how this person to just do something, trying to save their
each song is so specific to the experiences she has gone dead relationship. “Moon Song” also shares this
through. Even with the specifics, often times you can still common, dark theme. She knows she’ll always come
find yourself in her perspective. She reflects on her life in back to this person no matter the way they treat her,
a beautiful way, and it really makes her stand out as an and she would give them the moon if she could.
artist.
The album ends with an apocalyptic feeling song, “I
The debut single from Punisher was “Garden Song.” I Know The End.” She explains how she doesn’t really
interpreted this song as the weird, scary feelings one know what to do when she gets done with touring,
experiences as they grow older and leave their teenage almost leaving her with an empty feeling. It also
years. A lyric that stuck out to me talks about a potential lover
in this song was “And when I grow
up, I’m gonna look up / From my
“And when I grow up, and no matter how many times
she tries to push them away,
phone and see my life.” This lyric I’m gonna look up / they always come back to her.
This was interesting when first
really hones in on how media
driven our society is. As we spend From my phone and listening to it because almost
so much time on our phones, our every other song was saying
lives just continue to pass us by. see my life.” how she’d do anything for this
person who gives her nothing
A lot of Bridgers songs have a in return, and she could po-
similar slow, melancholy feel, sometimes resulting in her tentially be doing that to someone as well. This song
songs meshing together and sounding the same. A song also delves into a religious theme that other songs
on this album that broke away from that pattern was on the album talked about too, and the fear of not
“ICU.” The lyrics in this one explains how she’s felt dead knowing what happens when we die. The song ends
her whole life, but when she sees this specific person, it with abrupt screaming that lasts about a minute, and
finally makes her feel something. It also talks about how I loved it.
although she can see the flaws within this person, she
still loves them regardless. I personally really enjoy this Overall, I think this was a really well-done album,
song because it breaks the mold of what she usually does, and it showcases Bridgers artistry really nicely.
and it breaks up the album nicely. Rating: 8/10
Favorites: “ICU”, “Graceland Too,” “Moon Song,”
Another theme within the album is how Bridgers would and “I Know The End.”
do anything and be anything for the people whom she 12
loves, but they don’t give her that same energy back.
 TOP 10 SONGS FOR A
BREAK-UP

“Gone” by The Head and

“Strangers” by Mt. Joy “When Am I Gonna the Heart
Lose You” by Local

“Green Light” by Lorde “Fine Line” by Harry “All Too Well” by

Styles Taylor Swift

“Leave Your Light “What Once Was” by “Somebody Else” “Cellophane” by

On” by Night Moves Her’s by The 1975 FKA Twigs

13
 New Music to Get Excited for in
2020
By Lindsey Hardison

E ven a pandemic can’t stop artists from writing new music.

One band that is set to release an album in October is LANY. LANY is an indie-al-
ternative band from Oklahoma, currently residing in Los Angeles. They released
the lead single, “Good Guys,” for their third-studio album, mama’s boy, in the
beginning of May. It received a lot of mixed feelings and a lot of long-term LANY
fans are unsure of how they’re going to feel about the album. They released anoth-
er single at the beginning of July as well and will most likely release a couple of
more before the complete album drops.

Another artist set to drop her sophomore album, Apart, in October is LÉON. She
is an alternative-pop artist from Sweden. She writes songs centering on love and
heartache, with her first album only coming out just last year. The lead single off
the album, “Who You Lovin,” was released in April and fans were very excited.
Bleachers
LÉON
LANY

She has a very deep, sultry voice that sets her apart from other artists who are big
right now. This is most definitely an album that I’ll be eagerly waiting for its re-
lease.

Another band that has only been rumored to be creating music with no set date
is New Jersey based alternative-pop band, Bleachers. The lead singer and main
producer of the album, Jack Antonoff, has been alluding to new music for months
and fans are eagerly waiting for a date to be announced. Antonoff has begun
tweeting the line “take the sadness out of Saturday nights,” on his Twitter, and
fans are being left to assume that this could be nothing other than a new lyric.
14
 Favorite Artist of the Month
By Lindsey Hardison

A n artist I’ve been loving late-

ly is Amber Run. They’re a
rock-alternative band from the UK
and are composed of the members
Joshua Keogh, Tom Sperring, and
Henry Wyeth. Their first big single
was released back in 2014, called
“I Found.” I remember loving this
song back when it first came out,
but they were a smaller band that didn’t get much talk about them.

They came out with their third studio album, Philophobia, in September 2019, and
I was extremely impressed. As time went on, it became an album I forgot about.
Recently this summer I rediscovered it and fell in love with it again. The fear of love
is an interesting topic to explore, and they did it extremely well. My favorite song
from the album is, “No One Gets Out Alive.”

15
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