Aluminum - Iconoclast HaHa
Dream Pop / Indie Rock / Shoegaze – San Francisco, California – October 30, 2026
San Francisco has always had a fascinating relationship with alternative music, and Aluminum are among the bands helping to keep the city's independent guitar scene exciting. Combining the distorted textures of shoegaze with the melodic appeal of dream pop, the restless energy of post-punk and the rhythmic influences of 1990s British alternative rock, the quartet have developed a sound that is both adventurous and immediately engaging.
With their second album, Iconoclast HaHa, released on October 30, 2026, Aluminum take a noticeably more direct and abrasive approach, delivering thirteen tracks that emphasise the raw energy of four musicians playing together.
The band consists of Marc Leyda on vocals, guitar and samplers, Ryann Gonsalves on vocals and bass, Austin Montanari on guitar and Rick Altieri on drums. Their musical backgrounds reflect the diversity of influences that characterise Aluminum's sound, with connections to bands such as Torrey, Nothing Natural, Wild Moth, Blue Ocean, Blue Zero and Above Me.
Aluminum began establishing their identity with the single “Spinning Backwards / As Big As You Are” in December 2020, followed by the Windowpane EP in October 2022. These early recordings introduced their fascination with thick guitar textures, psychedelic effects and melodies that often emerged from beneath considerable layers of distortion.
Their debut album, Fully Beat, released in May 2024 through Felte Records, expanded that approach considerably, incorporating elements of big beat, psychedelic rock, alternative pop and the dance-oriented rhythms associated with the Madchester movement.
There were echoes of My Bloody Valentine, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Primal Scream and Happy Mondays, but Aluminum already demonstrated an ability to bring these different influences together without losing their own musical personality.
Two years later, Iconoclast HaHa finds the band taking a different approach to both songwriting and recording.
Working with producer Jack Shirley, Aluminum recorded, mixed and mastered the entire album in just one week at Atomic Garden Studios in Oakland. Co-produced by Shirley and the band, the sessions placed greater emphasis on collective performance and spontaneity, allowing the natural interaction between the four musicians to shape the recordings.
The result is a record that feels considerably more immediate than its predecessor. The guitars are louder and more abrasive, the rhythms frequently more urgent, and there is a stronger punk influence running through several compositions.
Yet Aluminum's melodic instincts remain firmly intact, particularly in the vocal interplay between Leyda and Gonsalves, whose contrasting voices provide an important balance to the album's heavier instrumental arrangements.
Opening track “Give Me a Reason” establishes this new direction with a combination of expansive guitars, forceful drumming and engaging vocal harmonies. The arrangement moves between clearer melodic passages and dense layers of distortion, introducing the album's fascination with contrasting textures.
“Killing Time,” the record's first single, continues with a more urgent approach. Its sharp guitars and insistent rhythm give the song an immediate sense of tension, while the lyrics explore the frustrations created by social expectations and the constant pressure to meet standards imposed by others.
This underlying anxiety is an important part of Iconoclast HaHa. Several songs reflect the uncertainty and psychological pressures of contemporary life, with the music frequently expressing those feelings through sudden changes in intensity and increasingly abrasive instrumental passages.
One of the most striking examples is “Lovely People,” a short, explosive composition inspired by a disturbing dream in which Marc Leyda found himself surrounded by people wearing sinister smiles.
The song's nervous energy, shifting rhythms and aggressive guitars introduce a more confrontational side to Aluminum's music, approaching the intensity of punk and post-hardcore while retaining the band's characteristic sense of unpredictability.
Fortunately, the album also provides moments of considerable melodic beauty.
“Distant Noise” is particularly appealing, bringing Ryann Gonsalves' gentle, airy vocals to the foreground. Acoustic guitar elements coexist with distorted riffs and atmospheric effects, creating a fascinating contrast between delicate melodies and heavier shoegaze textures.
There are occasional reminders of the more melodic side of 1990s American alternative rock, particularly bands such as that dog. and Luscious Jackson, although Aluminum give these influences a distinctly contemporary character.
For me, this ability to move between softness and overwhelming guitar noise is one of the band's greatest strengths. The melodies are often immediately memorable, yet the arrangements retain enough roughness and unpredictability to prevent the music from becoming too comfortable.
“An Opportunist” revisits some of the rhythmic experimentation heard on Fully Beat, introducing a more electronic pulse beneath its grainy instrumental textures. The result is hypnotic and slightly detached, offering an interesting contrast to the more guitar-driven compositions surrounding it.
“Paper Cup” explores a more acoustic direction, although the band's affection for distortion and unconventional textures remains evident. These quieter moments provide welcome breathing space within an album that frequently operates at considerable intensity.
Later, “Styptic Powder” stands out through its shifting rhythms and successive instrumental build-ups, with Rick Altieri's expressive drumming playing a particularly important role.
“I'll See You There” and “So Low” maintain the album's electric momentum, while shorter pieces such as “Shell,” “Still Life” and “Skip” introduce additional changes in atmosphere and structure.
The decision to include these brief compositions gives Iconoclast HaHa a slightly fragmented character, but it also contributes to the record's unpredictable energy. Rather than following a uniform approach, Aluminum allow different musical ideas to appear, develop and occasionally disappear before they become overly familiar.
The production is another significant aspect of the album's appeal.
Jack Shirley's work captures the physical intensity of the band's performances while preserving enough clarity for the melodies and instrumental details to remain effective. The guitars often dominate the arrangements, particularly with their heavier amplifier-driven sound, but the bass provides an essential melodic foundation, while the drums give the recordings an almost live quality.
There is a welcome sense of spontaneity throughout the album, with occasional rough edges adding character rather than distracting from the compositions.
What makes Iconoclast HaHa especially enjoyable is that Aluminum seem increasingly confident in their ability to combine seemingly contradictory musical ideas. Shoegaze traditionally encourages immersion and atmosphere, while punk often relies on urgency and directness. Aluminum bring those qualities together, adding the melodic accessibility of indie rock and the rhythmic imagination of psychedelic pop.
The result is a record that rarely remains in one place for very long.
With Iconoclast HaHa, Aluminum deliver an energetic and adventurous second album that pushes their shoegaze influences into louder, rougher and occasionally more unpredictable territory.
Its thirteen tracks balance distorted guitars, memorable vocal melodies, restless rhythms and moments of atmospheric beauty, reflecting a band increasingly comfortable with its own musical identity.
For listeners who appreciate the guitar textures of My Bloody Valentine, the psychedelic energy of Primal Scream or the melodic possibilities of 1990s alternative rock, Iconoclast HaHa offers plenty to explore.
More importantly, it demonstrates that Aluminum have the imagination and confidence to develop beyond those influences, making this second album another interesting contribution to the thriving independent music scene of San Francisco.
© Thusblog
