Collection: Dial Alaska

Birmingham, Alabama’s John Albea, recording as Dial Alaska, returns with Joy, the follow-up to Elephant Race (2020). Entirely self-produced, with Lauren Jones providing guest vocals on "Holy", Joy revisits Albea’s early electronic sound—originally born from necessity, using USB mics, primitive software, and a laptop barely capable of processing audio.

Inspired by a misinterpretation of vaporwave, Albea originally believed its warped textures were handcrafted rather than sample-based. That misunderstanding led to Dial Alaska’s distinct approach: synthetic yet deeply personal, built from the ground up. The pandemic rekindled his interest in this sound, shaping Joy into an album of bright, playful surfaces that mask a deeper melancholy. “Maybe it sounds happy to other people, but now I hear the depressed guy in it,” he reflects.

Lyrically, Joy explores themes of isolation and transformation—"no fool can be blue / so why can't I too?" from "Double Negative/Dunning-Kruger", or "windows shatter / so I've heard / bathroom tile / not a word" from "Tornado". It’s surreal yet introspective, much like Albea’s live performances, which feature puppets, talk box vocals, and theatrical elements.

Nodding to Van Dyke Parks, DIY synth-pop, and experimental outsider music, Joy is a record that feels at once handmade and otherworldly. Available via Earth Libraries on digital, CD, and cassette, it’s a project that embraces contradiction—both an escape and a reckoning.