This week the Prospectus sat down with Taurus Hate Club – also known as Alyssa Allen – to get to know all about her. We were able to get into the grit of not only her “Sharks in the Swimming Pool” EP, but also the unreleased music debuting at the Urbana Sandwich concert on February 1st, and her message to other artists (both current and those who are working up the courage).
When asked, “What did Tauruses ever do to you,” Allen erupted in laughter before saying it wasn’t what she meant. “I’m a Taurus… It’s literally Aly Hate Club.” She doesn’t take herself too seriously. The name itself came from someone asking her what her stage name would be; her name or her Instagram username. She later mentions how much you can get in your own way.
With her name being a shot at herself, she demonstrates the obstacle of self-doubt that comes with art. Despite having a unique and well-rounded image to her listeners, Allen has found that one of her biggest enemies has been self-promotion. She revealed that there was a pressure to be perceived in a much more animated and boisterous manner. “Which is a vibe but like I wouldn’t be able to pull it off,” she resolved to admire the extravagance from a distance.
Contrasting against the uncharacteristic title of Taurus Hate Club, Allen describes her music as quiet, intimate, and truthful. Her music always centers around either her surroundings or important people, such as in her song “Isabelle,” dedicated to her best friend.
“I think that’s sweet because… she’s winning with that,” the songwriter smiled as she explained that she didn’t expect the ode to Isabelle to outpace the others from her EP, especially by double the amount. “305” and “Sharks in the Swimming Pool” were both her expected successes, but Allen feels that she is often surprised and impressed with how her art is perceived.
When writing the titular “Sharks in the Swimming Pool,” Allen intended the track to be “Like the saying ‘skeletons in your closet’, like baggage… my brain automatically goes to baggage.” Allen expressed that she feels like there is always something looming just out of view, ready to drag her down. In the song, she expresses that people tell her she’s insane. But that doesn’t change the fact that there is something in the water.
Despite having a deep connection with the original meaning, she fell in love with the beauty of an interpretation offered by Smile Politely’s Christian Jones. The sharks in the swimming pool were expressed as deep-seated, irrational fears that stalk you from childhood well into adulthood and may unfortunately never leave until you reach the inevitable point that all humans do: exiting the pool altogether.
Allen has taken great care when crafting her songs. She enrolled in a music production course at Parkland College to help her reign in her sound and found that this helped in her close partnership with Curb Service, a fellow Champaign-Urbana artist who mixed and produced her first collection of songs. Although she took the class wanting to solo-produce her own projects, she felt that she lacked the confidence to take on the task herself, saying she “Still doesn’t know s— about s—.”
Sooner rather than later, the artist would like to collaborate on songs with Lucy Dacus, Stevie Nicks, and local artist Emily Otnes – co-founder of At A Glance Agency – praising them all as legends in their own right.
The love for Lucy Dacus was palpable in the room. “She’s literally my life,” Allen expressed while nearly jumping out of her seat. Her killer cover of Night Shift can be found amongst the many amazing WEFT Sessions performances featuring many unique local artists. Both Dacus and Allen have too-the-point storytelling skills that would undoubtedly make a phenomenal pairing.
Stevie Nicks is a legend that needs little to no introduction. The two-time Rock Hall of Fame inductee has served as an idol and inspiration for Allen for quite some time. They are a dream duo that could foster a connection between modern folk and good ole rock & roll.
Otnes – who now bounces between Champaign-Urbana and Nashville – contacted Taurus Hate Club to be in the first-ever Urbana Sandwich Series, making her the closing act for the beginning of the series. Allen screamed enthusiastically about Otnes’ genre-melting music between her career as Emily Blue and the current formation of her band which takes after her last name. The two musicians went to the same high school at separate times which solidified Allen’s resolve that they needed to someday be partners in crime.
Along with Otnes, Allen credits Tessa Turner and Anika Emily for taking her under their wings. She started out doing open mics at the Canopy Club at 17 years old and continued on with their friendship and guidance. Allen also shows great gratitude to Karina Tse – also known as the artist qq – who helped her book her first show. “They just kind of pushed me out there,” she expressed. This is likely what attributed to her ‘do it anyway’ attitude that she’s adopted on her journey to perform more frequently. She feels as if she’s still learning stage presence, but still has crowds laughing at all of her jokes and captivated when she sings.
After just releasing her solo EP in December of 2023, Allen and her band are gearing up for the Urbana Sandwich Series on February 1st with “almost all new (unreleased) originals” with some covers and older songs sprinkled in.
After forming her band over a single month, she expresses the unique synergy that makes them powerful as a unit. Allen said, “We’re all just anxious people so it helps a little,” realizing that her stage fright dwindles greatly when playing with them. This mutual understanding and support has fostered a band that Allen described as easygoing and fun.
The band took a short amount of time to put together. Allen plays guitar and does vocals, Megan Greenburg is on guitar, Sam Calhoon takes the bass, and Thomasin Gadel plays drums and percussion – who also plays for several other local bands like Dumbed Down.
Allen was almost dancing out of her chair to reveal the opening single to kick off her set at the Gallery Art Bar: “Boyish,” an originally moody and defiant song about wrestling with others’ perception of you that was written by Allen mid-November but has been perfected by the band. The new rendition was described to be both dark and upbeat.
Alyssa Allen’s current message is in stark contrast to the ‘Hate’ in her name. It is most direct in the penultimate track on her EP, “Best I’ve Ever Been.” The lyrics stated that the tendency to envy and look towards people younger and live through their successes is strong, but you don’t have to feel or be better than them to pursue what brings you joy. Allen said, “I don’t know if I believe in myself 100% of the time. Which like, everybody experiences, but like, f— it![…] It’s like, you don’t even have to be good enough. If you like doing it, just do it! Right! Just go through it and do it ’cause it’s fun.”
From here on, Taurus Hate Club as a unit is set to rock the stage for the entirety of 2024 and has hinted at the possibility of a “305” music video along with releasing the songs from their upcoming February 1st debut as a full band.
Taurus Hate Clubs’ current releases can be found just about anywhere music is streamed, including Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Bandcamp, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and more.
For tickets to the February 1st showing featuring Garden Girl, Sunshine Scott, and Taurus Hate Club, go to https://www.ataglance.agency/. They are also able to be found using their Instagram @ataglance.agency where they give regular updates of their activities.
If you would like to check out Christian Jones’ interpretation of Taurus Hate Club’s EP, go to https://www.smilepolitely.com.
