Biography
Hamerkop consists of Annabel Alpers from Bachelorette alongside sound engineer and drummer Adam Cooke. Sampled field recordings combine with Alpers’ instantly recognizable vocals to form the duo’s intricate and powerful sound, one deliberately shaped for live concert presentation through meticulous attention to its sonic design. Nevertheless the pair embraced the album format with the release of their debut Remote during 2020.
Following the appearance of Bachelorette’s self-titled 2011 album, Alpers chose to pause work under that name. She relocated from New Zealand to America, where she spent years gathering and reshaping field recordings together with found sounds drawn from her homeland and other locations, among them the pair’s Baltimore residence. Those recordings became loops that Alpers used to assemble songs by layering synths, vocals, and Cooke’s drums. Unlike the album-oriented approach that defined Bachelorette, this material was built expressly for live performance. A successful crowd-funding campaign supplied the resources that allowed the project to reach the stage beginning in 2017. The performances placed the duo inside a surround-sound setup whose multiple speakers immersed listeners in layered, soaring indie rock. The same funds also supported the finishing of Remote, which Drag City issued in early 2020.
Following the appearance of Bachelorette’s self-titled 2011 album, Alpers chose to pause work under that name. She relocated from New Zealand to America, where she spent years gathering and reshaping field recordings together with found sounds drawn from her homeland and other locations, among them the pair’s Baltimore residence. Those recordings became loops that Alpers used to assemble songs by layering synths, vocals, and Cooke’s drums. Unlike the album-oriented approach that defined Bachelorette, this material was built expressly for live performance. A successful crowd-funding campaign supplied the resources that allowed the project to reach the stage beginning in 2017. The performances placed the duo inside a surround-sound setup whose multiple speakers immersed listeners in layered, soaring indie rock. The same funds also supported the finishing of Remote, which Drag City issued in early 2020.
Albums
Singles
