Interview

Alien Chicks: “We follow the idea and stop worrying about where it ends up on a genre map”

For Alien Chicks, not fitting neatly into a genre has gone from something they simply couldn't avoid to something they actively embrace.

“At the start it was closer to indecision: we couldn't agree on one sound, so we used all of them. Now we know that's the point.”Alien Chicks

It's a fitting description for a band whose music has always resisted sitting comfortably in one place. Punk, rap, jazz and shifting rhythms all find their way into the Alien Chicks sound, with Josef Lindsay, Stefan Parker-Steele and Martha Daniels allowing songs to develop according to what they need rather than what a genre might dictate.

That instinct has become more deliberate with time. Where the band's early approach was partly a case of figuring things out as they went, there is now a greater sense of trust in the process. “We know what the others are about to do, and more importantly what they're about to get wrong.”

Stef and Josef have played together since they were about 17, and years of playing together have created a level of instinct that doesn't need much explanation. “Mostly we've learned when to leave space and when to make a racket.”

That understanding is particularly important in a three-piece. There is nowhere for unnecessary parts to hide, and the band say every contribution has to earn its place. “With three people, everything you play is exposed, so each part has to earn its place.”

It also makes disagreements fairly straightforward. “Arguments are quick, because there are only ever two other opinions.”

That combination of instinct and experimentation has developed through years of playing live, with The Windmill in Brixton playing a particularly important role. The venue has been a regular part of the band's story since their early days, helping them learn what works when there is an actual audience in front of them.

“The Windmill is where we played week after week and learned what works in front of a real crowd. That scene is supportive and unforgiving in equal measure, and it's a big part of why we take live shows so seriously.”Alien Chicks

That grassroots foundation has since taken them onto festival stages and into larger headline shows of their own.

But the moment that really marked a change for them wasn't necessarily a bigger venue.

It was hearing people sing their lyrics back. “When we started, we'd have been happy with a decent turnout on a Tuesday. Selling out Oslo in Hackney and playing Glastonbury were big moments, but that first singalong was the one that really landed.”

The live environment also feeds back into the band's writing. They tend to know where a song starts and have a rough idea of where it ends, but the middle remains open to change. “The middle is up for negotiation.”

Songs tend to change shape once they are played live, and the crowd can help reveal what's working. There is also a particular moment that tells Alien Chicks they've found something that belongs to them. “When there's a moment we didn't plan that also feels inevitable. Usually it's a rhythm that shouldn't fit.”

That willingness to let things become slightly unpredictable carries through to Toys Taken At Birth, the band's new EP, released this Friday, 2 October 2026.

The EP's lead track, ‘Now I'm Big’, is out today, offering the first taste of the record ahead of its release.

Listen to Now I'm Big — Alien Chicks on Spotify

Compared with their earlier releases, the band describe the new record as more assured. “That we're more confident about being ourselves. The earlier releases were us working out how far the sound could stretch. This one is tighter and sharper, and it doesn't hedge. We've also finally found a studio sound that we feel represents us.”

There is also something else they've been conscious of this time around. “A main criticism of our older releases is that they don't sound like we do live. I think these ones are more representative.”

For a band whose identity has been shaped so heavily by live performance, that feels significant.

Toys Taken At Birth also moves into more serious territory, dealing with inequality, power and frustration.

For a band whose humour is such an important part of their identity, finding the right tone wasn't always straightforward.

“The subjects where being funny can undercut the point. It's easy to be sarcastic about frustration. It's harder to write about inequality without it turning into a lecture or a punchline. We spent a lot of time on getting the tone right, and making sure that the instrumentation follows that direction.”Alien Chicks

The answer wasn't to put the message before the music. “Not the order: the music comes first, because a song has to work before it can mean anything. But having something to say gives it a backbone.”

Instead, the band would rather the meaning reveals itself gradually. “We'd rather people are hooked by the groove and then notice what the lyrics are actually about.”

They expand on that idea, explaining the contrast between the band's live energy and the ideas sitting underneath their songs. “I think it's quite nice to watch us live and think it's a load of gibberish but then be able to unpack the song in your own time and realise it's not just one dimensional.”

That balance between the immediate and the deeper meaning feels central to Alien Chicks. The music can be funny, chaotic and deliberately difficult to pin down, but underneath it are ideas that reward a closer listen.

And while Toys Taken At Birth represents a more confident version of the band, keeping Alien Chicks moving comes with its own challenges. “Logistics, mainly. We tour a lot, often by coach, and making a band work on that scale with limited money and no slack is a constant puzzle.”

Creatively, though, the pressure is different. “Creatively we're always pushing to do more, which is good but tiring.”

It's a grounded answer from a band whose trajectory has been moving steadily upwards. The ambition is there, but so is the reality of making three people, a touring schedule and limited resources work together.

The next few months aren't exactly going to make things quieter.

With Toys Taken At Birth arriving on 2 October, Alien Chicks are heading straight into a packed month of live dates. Their October run begins in London on release day, followed by Liverpool, Kingston and Bristol before the band head into Europe for shows in Paris, Groningen, Amsterdam, Hannover, Hamburg, Copenhagen and Flensburg.

The schedule keeps the band on the road throughout the month, giving them plenty of opportunity to take the new material into the rooms and crowds that have shaped their sound in the first place.

Then comes Iceland in November, which the band say they're “properly excited about”, before December brings another significant step: recording their debut album. “In December we're recording our debut album, a concept album.”

There's another tour planned for February, too. “It's a busy few months.”

For Alien Chicks, though, the direction seems clearer than ever. Not because they've settled on a sound, but because they've stopped feeling the need to.

They started out unable to agree on one sound and ended up discovering that the disagreement itself was part of what made the band work.

Now they're following the idea wherever it takes them.

“We follow the idea and stop worrying about where it ends up on a genre map.”Alien Chicks

And perhaps that's the best way to approach Alien Chicks: don't try too hard to work out what they're supposed to sound like.

Just follow them and see where they go.

Alien Chicks' Toys Taken At Birth is released Friday 2 October 2026 via Alcopop! Records. ‘Now I'm Big’ is out now.