FEELING LIKE A KID WITH ALIX PAGE
Geese, bugs (like lady, not stink), and old friends decorate the whimsical world of indie alt-pop princess, Alix Page. The 23-year-old singer-songwriter began releasing music in 2020 and has since amassed millions of streams, toured with the likes of Gracie Abrams and Sarah Kinsley, and established herself as an emerging force of indie stardom. Now, she’s kicking off what promises to be a breakthrough year with the release of her tertiary EP, “Bug”.
“This EP was a huge learning process,” noted Page in an interview with Disaster. “Every song has had such a different feel to it and has been through several different versions of itself. It’s been a really fulfilling process.”
The EP’s first single, “Girlfriend” graced the midsummer of 2024. As the first taste of “Bug”, the track offers a charming and tender preview of the EP.. The single is honest and confident, layering the laid-back vocals that lace the EP with elevating backing instrumentals.
“I think I always knew I wanted ‘Girlfriend’ to be the lead single,” Page expressed. “I just love that song and I think it lined up correctly with the timing of it — coming out during the summer.”
The final single, the titular track, “Bug” was released on Valentine’s Day and is just as cute as its title. The track is heartfelt and sonically stripped-back, pairing honeyed vocals with steady guitar; you will definitely cry if you watch the visualizer.
“Bug was kind of a nickname my current boyfriend started calling me out of nowhere. I started writing the song early on in that relationship out of the place of feeling shocked at how comfortable and safe I felt already. When you’re falling in love with somebody that feels really safe it’s healthy for your inner child, so I think you can also look at it as me writing to my younger self as well.”
“Bug” is a quilt of past and present. Past and present relationships, past and old present, past and present memories. Page has been developing the EP since 2020 — saving songs for it, living it, writing and recording it. Despite spanning different periods, the songs remain cohesive — something Page credits to the collaborators who have shaped her journey.
“I’m lucky they came together. I think when you have enough of the same people playing on them and enough of the same opinions and enough of the same people working across every song it just works out well.”
Page is set to embark on her second headline this spring, playing 13 landmark venues over a two-and-a-half-week run with support from Susannah Joffe and Cameron Schmidt. If you’re able to make any of the dates, you won’t want to miss the enchanting experience of Alix Page live.
—
Q&A
Evie Seetoo: I saw earlier today you announced your second headline tour, congrats! Do you have a favorite venue or city to play?
Alix Page: I mean, I’m always excited to play LA. It’s like the closest to a hometown show. I just love the Trubador.
Also definitely Chicago, my sister lives there and I love the crowds there. It’s always one of my favorite, most energetic shows in Chicago.
And then Kilby Court! I’ve played there twice now, once opening for Gracie and once’s opening for my friend Beeson in August. It was seventeen degrees when I was there with Gracie, and pretty windy with Beeson so I’m really excited to be there in the early spring, summer.
ES: When you picture people listening to “Bug”, where do you picture them?
AP: Ooo! I love a good car listen. I love to go for a drive and listen to something, or drive somewhere and park and listen.
I’ve been trying to do a lot more journaling lately. Maybe it’s a ‘sit in bed and listen while you journal’ thing. I feel like there’s a lot more thinking about my younger self and taking care of baby Alix in this EP.
ES: Do you get prank-called often? Or are you more of a prank caller?
AP: I definitely don’t get prank calls that often. I remember when my sister was in second grade — this was back when no kids had phones so you had to call your friends on the landline — and my sister had a sleepover one night and her and her friends were prank calling people and doing the ‘Is your refrigerator running?’ joke. I thought it was the coolest thing ever, to be prank-calling people. That’s the extent of my prank call history.
ES: Was your younger self the big inspiration for this EP? You’ve said “Bug”, the title track, isn’t necessarily about you, but it could be read that way.
AP: I feel like it’s kind of an after-the-fact thing where I wrote all the songs thinking one thing and then after starting some of them so long ago and just now revisiting them that I feel like I grew. I’ve definitely tried to lean into the ‘what younger Alix would like and be excited by and think is fun’. It’s just been a lot of reminiscing.
