Alynda Segarra doesn’t write your average Americana music. Their songs, written under the moniker Hurray For The Riff Raff, infuse folk-rock twang with themes of identity, addiction, and revolution. And their upcoming eighth studio album The Past Is Still Alive is no different.
The Past Is Still Alive manages to be both stirring and tranquil. They combine revelations on “Hawkmoon” with warm memories on the rambling “Snake Plant (The Past Is Still Alive),” which acts as a mostly autobiographical retelling of their youthful adventures train-hopping across the country. Overall, The Past Is Still Alive can be considered Segarra most important work to date.
The gripping songs were recorded just a month before the sudden passing of their father. But much of the album itself was penned after opening for Conor Oberst became a creative retreat of sorts, where they were comfortable writing from a place of vulnerability. Ahead of the release of The Past Is Still Alive , Segarra sits down with Uproxx to talk crushing on Madonna, sleeping in a tombstone warehouse, and how Lou Reed taught them not to give a f*ck in our latest Q&A.
What are four words you would use to describe your music?
Nature punk / grief folk.
It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?
I would like it to be a doorway to a remembering of this time, and all of the people and places, and moments that we are building to create opportunities for liberation and beauty in the future. Just a timestamp of what we tried to make with what we had here.
Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?
Lou Reed is my biggest inspiration, I feel him in my lyricism always. He lives in my mind as a guide to truly not giving a f*ck, And yet someone who fiercely loves the outsiders of the world. Also, being that I’m from New York, the Velvet Underground is just a part of my DNA.
Where did you eat the best meal of your life and what was it?
The best meal I’ve ever eaten was in Paris and it was a Japanese restaurant called Ogata. I went there for lunch because the dinner reservations were booked for months. It was a full sensory experience. The other best meal I’ve ever had was at a place called Bar Brutal in Barcelona.
Tell us about the best concert you’ve ever attended.
Special Interest playing a generator show in the parking lot of an abandoned beauty supply store on Mardi Gras night February 2020, right before the world stopped. There were helicopters and security cameras on fire.
What song never fails to make you emotional?
“I’ll Be Seeing You” by Billie Holiday.
What’s the last thing you Googled?
The best cozy video games for Nintendo Switch haha I’m trying to get into video games that are good for my anxiety. Literally, the lowest stakes ever please.