Alphabet Enter A New Era With ‘Sense’

Photo by Tatiana Pozuelo

Formed from the remnants of Brighton’s thriving DIY music scene, alphabet are a London-based shoegaze and indie rock band built on friendship, collaboration and a shared desire to create something new.

Comprised of Lena Pilshofer (vocals, bass), George Miles (drums), Tom Sullivan (guitar) and Milo Mcnulty (vocals, guitar), the four-piece first crossed paths while playing in separate bands in Brighton before eventually relocating to London, where alphabet officially came together. Having spent years immersed in the same creative circles, the band’s formation felt less like a new beginning and more like the natural next step of a long-running musical conversation.

Drawing inspiration from the likes of Slowdive, The Cure and Sonic Youth, alphabet blend swirling guitar textures with sharper post-punk energy, creating a sound that feels both nostalgic and immediate. Their dual vocal approach, shared between Lena and Milo, adds another layer to the band’s identity – offering different perspectives within the same songs.

Since releasing their debut single ‘Artificial Light’ in 2024, alphabet have steadily built momentum with tracks including ‘Colour Fade,’ ‘All The Words,’ ‘Your Everything,’ ‘Motion Sickness’ and ‘Pressure,’ while earning support slots alongside artists including Egyptian Blue, Humour and Splint. The band have also received backing from members of Fontaines D.C. and Shame, while their growing audience now stretches from London and Manchester to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

Ahead of their appearance at the East London Block Party and today’s release of new single ‘Sense,’ we spoke to alphabet about their Brighton beginnings, finding their place within shoegaze’s evolving landscape, and why their next chapter could be their biggest yet.

You all crossed paths while playing in different bands in Brighton before eventually moving to London and forming alphabet. What was the music scene like around you at that time, and what was it about those early connections that made you want to start something together?

All: None of us are actually from Brighton. Three of us moved there for university and George was working there but we all ended up living there for around six or seven years. The music scene was amazing. Brighton had this really exciting period around 2015 with bands like The Magic Gang and The Wytches coming through. People were putting on shows in living rooms and there was this real DIY energy that felt like something was happening.

We all liked each other’s music and naturally became friends. Brighton is such a small place that everyone ends up connected through the same circles. Lena and George had already been in a band together, and alphabet became the third project they shared.

Eventually we all moved to London around the same time, and then COVID happened. Our previous bands naturally came to an end, so alphabet became this new thing we could build together.

Photo by Tatiana Pozuelo

alphabet has both male and female vocalists, which creates quite a distinct dynamic in your sound. How do you approach deciding who takes the lead on a song?

Milo: It happens quite naturally. Usually someone will bring in a riff or an idea and we’ll build around it together. Someone will start mumbling a melody or words, and if something sticks, that person usually becomes the main vocalist for that song. Normally, if you’re singing the verses, you’re also writing the lyrics, but it’s not always that straightforward.

Lena: Sometimes Milo will write the main lyrics and I’ll write around them. It becomes a bit of a collage.

Milo: It’s nice because you end up with two different perspectives on the same theme. It makes the songs feel like a conversation rather than one person’s viewpoint. 

A lot of shoegaze is associated with nostalgia and looking backwards, but your songs feel quite emotionally direct.

What parts of your own experiences find their way into the music?

Milo: For me, it’s mostly everyday experiences – anxieties, worries and things everyone deals with. The songs usually develop naturally during practice. We’ll jam, sing random ideas and slowly figure out what the lyrics are actually about. My writing process is quite stream-of-consciousness. I don’t always know the theme until afterwards.

Lena: I’m a bit more structured with it. I usually start with a theme, but the sound always comes first.

Tom: We were recording last week and the lyrics were literally only finalised the day before. That’s kind of how we work with everything developing right up until the end.

You’ve been championed by bands like Fontaines D.C. and Shame, while drawing from artists like Slowdive and The Cure. Do you feel connected to the tradition of shoegaze, or do you see yourselves reshaping that sound?

Tom: I’d say we’re more interested in reshaping it. Shoegaze isn’t really one-dimensional as there are lots of different elements you can take from it. Some of our songs have those textures, but there are also rhythmic parts that feel closer to post-punk.

Milo: Tom’s guitar definitely has those shoegaze influences, but the way the rest of the band approaches the songs is different. It’s not as purely washed-out or ethereal like Cocteau Twins. The vocals and drums bring a different energy.

Your releases so far, from ‘Artificial Light’ to ‘Pressure,’ feel like a gradual introduction to the band. Has releasing music changed how you understand what alphabet is?

Tom: I think our songwriting has definitely developed, but we still love the songs we made right at the beginning. It took time for us to find our identity and figure out what worked. The hardest part now is actually making a setlist because we have so many songs.

Milo: We actually played live for about a year before releasing anything. That helped because we had time to properly understand the songs before recording them. A lot of bands release music straight away, but we wanted to make sure we actually believed in what we were putting out. Being independent also means things move slower with recording and releasing music being expensive. However, we’re hoping to start working towards an album next year.

Photo by Lucia Owens

You’re playing the East London Block Party this summer. What do you enjoy most about bringing these songs into a live setting?

Tom: I just love performing. It’s really cathartic. Once I’m on stage I can completely lose myself in it. The best part is seeing people react and knowing that what you’re doing actually means something to someone else. That connection with an audience is really important.

Lena: For me, it takes a couple of songs before I properly lose myself and start enjoying it. We haven’t played as much this year, but there were periods where we were doing six shows a month. Now we’re trying to branch out more and play outside London too.

Your new single ‘Sense’ is arriving as the band continues to build momentum. What does that song reveal about where alphabet are heading?

Milo: It’s probably our most direct song so far. The vocals come in very quickly, and it’s a bit more immediate than some of our previous songs. We actually recorded it about a year ago and took it out of our live set so that when it came back, it felt fresh again. It’s more angular and has more movement in the chords.

Lena: There are still nostalgic elements in there, but it feels quite different from our other songs.

Tom: At the time I was listening to “Favourite” by Fontaines D.C. It doesn’t sound like that song, but I loved the feeling of it and wanted to capture something with that same kind of energy.

Any final thoughts?

Tom: There will be new music soon.

Lena: Thank you to our listeners in Australia. We hope to tour there one day! 

Listen to alphabet on Spotify, and Apple Music.