Alley of the Dolls (band)

Alley of the Dolls
Background information
Origin	Leeds, West Yorkshire
Years active	2023–present
Members	Jacob Stephenson Adam Pickering
Website	alleyofthedolls.net

Alley of the Dolls are a transatlantic rock band with both members originally from West Yorkshire, that formed in 2023. The band consists of cousins Jacob Stephenson and Adam Pickering. Band members currently reside in New York (Stephenson) and London (Pickering).

Primarily inspired by new wave, rock, and heavy metal music of the late 1970s through the 1990s, the band have released three singles: 13:55 (2023), Lower East Side (2023), and Place, Name, Crime (2023), along with debut EP, Urethane (2024).

History

Formation and debut EP (2023–2024)

Stephenson and Pickering were born weeks apart and as cousins grew up very close together. Both developed a love of music from a very young age. The pair had various other musical outlets and bands they performed with individually before choosing to create Alley of the Dolls together in 2023. Stephenson had been diagnosed with cancer some months earlier and during treatment they had started creating music together in an effort to give Stephenson a therapeutic outlet. Treatment to remove a cancerous tumor from Stephensons throat in 2023 left him with facial paralysis and difficulty speaking and singing which he continues to deal with. The bands first single 13:55 is autobiographical of Stephensons experience waking up from the aforementioned surgery.

Urethane EP

The bands debut EP named Urethane, was released on April 12, 2024. It features the previously released single 'Lower East Side' alond with four other tracks: Broken Skies, Teardrop, Ecliptic Plane, and Polyamory.

The EP has received a generally positive response. A 2024 Spill Magazine review of the EP reads 'Alley Of The Dolls are very talented and have come up with some very new sounds based on their apparent knowledge of rock from the 1970s to now. This is not to say that they borrow sounds, styles, or songs, because they don’t. They have created their own sound, much like Metallica did. But they do have the sensibility and vibe of older styles and music and it works. Not only does it work, it is very welcome in today’s musical climate. Urethane is an EP of well-constructed, written and performed songs.'

Positive reviews for various magazine publications have given the EP the status of being eligible for 'Album of the Year' and it currently sits with a critics score of 80/100.