Prolific South East London guitarist and songwriter Alpha Maid presents her album Is this a queue. Beginning from a sense of frustration at the predictable and boring narratives and systems of the world, and the feeling that such rules were the rules of the universe, Alpha Maid formed an interest in particle physics. "We only know 4% of the universe, there is hope in that and the unknown 96%. I found excitement and wonder in that. The theories I was reading about relied more on the conditions of the present moment, and it made the idea of living in the moment feel more accessible. It started to be possible to see present time from all these different angles, and to have infinite more options to choose where to be next." Written across many years and different places, the LP documents a journey and the people Alpha Maid met while moving around, collating moments of the present. Her guitar remains a constant amongst an array of sonic influences throughout: from dub which honors her Jamaican heritage and the Windrush Generation, to the twinges of an emo love song in "On Smoke." Is this a queue revels in the magic of that which people cannot see and coherently understand, and the narratives that have been shrunk down to fit. Remembering, continuing, forgetting, paying attention, building, navigating, contributing, time. Alpha Maid (aka Leisha Thomas) is a guitarist, vocalist, and producer from South London. Her debut EP Spy (2019) was released by the collective/label CURL. She continues to collaborate in various forms with fellow members such as Coby Sey and Mica Levi. Alpha Maid's debut vinyl release Chuckle EP (2021) was released on the C.A.N.V.A.S. collective/label, and garnered significant critical attention. In spring 2023 Alpha Maid teamed up with Mica Levi to self-release their joint EP spresso. Featuring Leo Hermitt, Valentina Magaletti, Ben Vince, and Coby Sey.
