Almost Heaven Built a Whole World in Eight Months
Two people, one homemade label, and a dance-punk world big enough for everyone who wants in.
Most bands wait at least a year before they revisit a debut. Almost Heaven did it at eight months, because, as Jaelyn Valero put it, “We’re just really proud of how much has happened in this time span.” The anniversary edition of RAW CRANIUM landed October 2, one week before the duo’s first Austin City Limits set.
“You fit more people in a world than in a room, and that’s what it’s about.”
Stefan Barraza, to Melodic Magazine
The Record
RAW CRANIUM first arrived on January 30, produced and mixed by Ernesto Grey and mastered by Greg Obis. It is post-punk you can dance to, with electro-pop shine on top. KUTX made “Oscillation” a Song of the Day, and the duo spent the months that followed proving the songs worked even better in a room full of people.
The anniversary edition adds two new songs, “monkey disco brain” and “rock push pulse sweat,” with a Mothé remix of “fever trying to blow” on the way. “rock push pulse sweat” has a great origin story. It started as a six-minute jam from Stefan Barraza’s best friend back home in El Paso. That is Almost Heaven in a nutshell: friends first, and the record grows out of that.
Their World
Almost Heaven began as Barraza’s solo project in El Paso. It became a duo after he moved to Austin in 2024 and started making music with Jaelyn Valero, an Austin native who had toured with Farmer’s Wife. They run their own label, Raw Cranium Records, and the year since has moved fast: SXSW showcases, Austin Psych Fest, opening a sold-out night for Model/Actriz, and a full KUTX Studio 1A session in August.
On October 9 they made their Austin City Limits debut during the festival’s second weekend. When Melodic Magazine caught up with them at the festival, the conversation kept circling back to world-building. They point to Gorillaz as the model, a band that built a universe people could step inside. With a first full-length planned for early 2027, the door to that universe is only getting wider.
Start Here
Start with “monkey disco brain,” then go back to the beginning of RAW CRANIUM and hear where it all came from. Eight months is not long. Almost Heaven made it feel like a lot more.
Photo
Sofia Treviño, via Melodic Magazine.
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