The Saxophones, a retro-pop duo, craft delicate chamber pop by blending 1950s exotica with West Coast folk, smooth jazz, and bedroom pop. Originating in California's Bay Area during the mid-2000s, the group issued their first full-length album, Songs of the Saxophones, in 2018. They expanded upon their introspective, romantic approach through releases such as Eternity Bay in 2020 and the reverberant To a Be a Cloud from 2023, captured live onto tape inside a decommissioned church.
Residing in Oakland, the Saxophones consist of the married pair Alexi Erenkov, who handles vocals, guitar, synthesizer, and woodwinds, alongside Alison Alderdice on drums and vocals. Erenkov launched the endeavor alone, turning to singing and guitar instruction once formal jazz training at university lost its appeal. After multiple years dedicated to composing tracks, refining their aesthetic, and growing the lineup, Erenkov joined forces with Alderdice and associate Richard Laws—responsible for bass, synthesizer, and vibraphone—to lay down the EP If You're on the Water alongside Cameron Spies of Radiation City in Portland, Oregon. Though initially issued independently in digital formats and on lathe-cut vinyl during 2016, online attention secured a contract with Full Time Hobby, prompting a re-release the following year.
Early in 2018 came the band's first official single, "Aloha," paired with their rendition of the David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti standard "Just You" from Twin Peaks. Recorded once more involving Spies and Laws, the debut album Songs of the Saxophones appeared in June 2018. An EP titled Singing Desperately Suite emerged at the start of 2019, leading to the second album Eternity Bay, produced by Spies, in March 2020. Their subsequent record, To a Be a Cloud from May 2023, stood out due to its echoing qualities. This thoughtful collection, composed at their residence in Inverness, California, during tranquil periods once their children slept, was captured live on 24-track tape with Laws at Phil Elverum's Unknown Studio, located in a former Catholic church within Washington State.
