Alton San Giovanni has been releasing music since 2013, performing first as Niteppl and now has a new moniker, Alton Allen. He released a trilogy of albums under the name Niteppl, then took a hiatus from that name in 2017 while he performed on tour with the band Low Roar. One year after that he collaborated with Poolside on the songs “Greatest City” and “Sunrise Strategies.” Now he’s back as Alton Allen and we’re premiering his newest single, “Stride,” a preview of his upcoming 2021 album Bad Magick, which will be out on Popgang Records.

The song opens with an acoustic guitar-led band playing a soft, melodic figure and Allen’s soothing lyrical delivery, reminiscent of an alt-pop version of Tom Petty. The song is a look back on the musician’s past mistakes – “Take it in with every stride / I’m just a lone low-life living on the line” as he says in the opening line. The singer talks about accepting but not excusing past mistakes.

“As human beings we’re only the summation of the memories printed within ourselves,” said Allen. “Our facial features, eyes, and bodies are just the memories our parents gave us when we were born. Our minds are an archive of experiences, and this song was my way of peeling back a bit of a band-aid on my own past life. Sunlight is sometimes the best disinfectant. One aspect of this song I find really important is the idea of shining light on things that you’d rather keep in the shadows.”