If there is a signature songwriting style of Alto Key, it’s writing music that depicts the ups and downs of life. The tracks are, at their core, heartfelt interpretations of his own life and emotions, delivered in a way that allows for relatability at every turn. Honest and empathetic, put simply. This, alongside his ability to document his journey as a musician and person through media (from primetime television to TikTok snippets), is the foundation of his career.
The sound itself is a mixture of classic singer-songwriter and contemporary alternative pop, laced with an infectious optimism. His latest EP, the six-track entitled you’re honesty doing so well, is the latest offering, and offers up dynamic, intentional soundscapes, alongside the central mission of gifting the titular phrase; said too little, and needed to often.
In his own words, Alto Key reflects on the particularly assured and buoyant nature of the new work, “The entire EP is really a collection of songs all about uplifting people.” Emphasising the friendly attentiveness the listener is greeted by across the project, he continues…
“The lyrics are all things I wish someone had told me when I’ve had my own struggles in life. Things like ‘you’re honestly doing so well’, ‘there’s a reason that I’m holding on’ and ‘nothing can hold me back’. Though I won’t list them all, I really hope these songs have the power to take somebody out there out of a dark place and give them everything they need to hear in that moment.”
The opener and title track is a thematic introduction, stripped back in a way, but steadily blossoming with subtle acoustic guitar and piano, with brighter, vivid colour. Further along the way, Alto Key meanders through themes of gratitude (’how lucky i am’), self-confidence (’ready to be myself’), breaking through overwhelm and achieving personal growth slowly (’one step at a time’). By the final track ‘love, life and fate’, we are blessed with a string-laden theatricality, and a moment that feels a fitting wrap-up to this short journey.