Julian Mercado and Alpine

Formerly of the name Swiss before hearing of another Australian group with the same moniker, the group soon changed its name to Alpine in a continuation of the Swiss theme. Born out of a collaboration between high-school friends, one vocalist Phoebe Baker and guitarist Christian O’Brien, the pair later graduated and invited Lousia James to assist in their harmony-rich mix. The group later added the talents of keyboardist Tim Royal, bassist Ryan Lamb, and drummer Phil Tuckers to fill-out Alpine’s sound and recorded their debut demo. That demo reached the proficient ears of national radio Triple J and the group became indie-pop favourites without having played a show.

Following a month-long residency at the Melbourne club, Northcote Social Club, the band signed with Ivy League Records. Now with label backing Alpine’s issued their debut EP “Zürich” in November 2010 and embarked on their first national tour alongside Cloud Control, Jinga Safari, and the Naked and Famous. Ahead of their full-length album the six-piece released the single “Hands” in late 2011, which generated a significant amount of buzz for the band.

Issued in early 2010 Alpine’s debut studio album “A is for Alpine” topped the Australian iTunes chart and peaked at No. 11 on the Australian Albums Chart. Featuring a light, bright and charismatic sound the album earned favourable reviews and resulted in a nomination for Best Breakthrough Artist at the 2010 ARIA Music Awards. Following a successful national and U.S. tour, Alpine made their U.S. television debut on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”, after which the group were dubbed the band to watch by Rolling Stone magazine. The full-length “Yuck” arrived in 2015 once again released on Ivy League Records.