Photo Credit: Sarah Danziger
Alyndra Segarra grew up in the Bronx and developed an appreciation for doo-wop and Motown music before immersing herself as a teen in hardcore punk. Leaving home at 17, she spent time crossing the country hopping freight trains before settling in New Orleans.
It was there she created the first version of Hurray for the Riff Raff which released two independent albums. By 2014, she had received enough interest to sign a major record deal, leading to the release of Small Town Heroes. It was her first album backed by a full band. Drawing on her time busking in New Orleans, the album had a southern folk feel without the southern drawl.
In 2017 Hurray for the Riff Raff released The Navigator, a concept album that is quasi-autobiographical and partially based on David Bowie’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars.
For this year’s new album, Life on Earth, Segarra has abandoned her banjo and Applachian folk for survival themed self styled “nature punk,” favoring slick electro pulse and soulful vocals.
Releasing on the 18th, the new album features a song about a tree. Rhododendron brings up images of Lou Reed in the vocals. Another track features accompaniment from a tree loaded with wind chimes.
