Rocket: "The greatest thing that can happen is for your art to make an impact on someone in some way."

      From their beginnings as childhood friends to opening for The Smashing Pumpkins, the Los Angeles band Rocket has experienced a remarkable ascent. With their debut album 'R Is For Rocket', they're now aiming for even greater heights.

      In 2016, Alithea Tuttle found her path unexpectedly altered. At just 16, she was on track to become a professional dancer, dedicating hours each day to practice, backed by years of rhythmic gymnastics training. However, a stress fracture in her lumbar vertebrae abruptly changed everything. Doctors told her she would never be able to dance again. Though she didn't realize it at the time, she was being steered in a new direction. It wasn't until the lockdown that she discovered her true calling in music, encouraged by her guitarist boyfriend Desi Scaglione, who suggested she sing on a demo he was working on. “I believe that those fervent about music have some innate musicality,” he reflects, sitting with Alithea at home on a Monday morning while unsuccessfully trying to prevent their cat from walking in front of their camera. “I had a sense you might be interested in this due to your enthusiasm for music from the start. You took a considerable leap since you'd never done this before, and you really dove into it,” he remarks. Alithea replies, “I wasn’t sure if it would be a waste of time or if I would be any good. I mean, at the start, nobody's good.” Initially, her nerves drove her to sing in her mother’s closet using her phone’s voice recorder to avoid being heard. As she practiced and found her voice as a singer, she realized she was finally reintroducing creativity into her life. “I was so relieved to say, ‘great, I found something that I might want to pursue.’ Many people struggle with this, and I had been questioning, ‘what am I doing with my life? What genuinely brings me joy?’ I had tried countless hobbies, like many of us, and it was refreshing to find something I was eager to invest in. I felt like I had finally found something worthy of my commitment.” A significant part of her support came from forming the band with people she and Desi were already close to - drummer Cooper Ladomade (a friend since preschool) and guitarist Baron Rinzler. “[Being in a band] requires a lot of mutual trust and an understanding of the music we enjoy,” Baron explains. “Our tastes are quite similar, and we enjoy sharing music with each other. Whenever we find a new band, we all share it.”

      These shared tastes have come together to form Rocket’s distinctive sound; a translucent, dream-like style of rock, occasionally brushed with shoegaze elements. It leans towards a brighter, more melodic feel, not strictly modern or retro, almost timeless. While they draw on a plethora of ‘90s influences, particularly The Smashing Pumpkins, they also hold great admiration for a broad range of music beyond that era. “We never set out to create a ‘90s sound,” Alithea clarifies. “Yet we’re flattered when people say that, as that time in music felt genuine and unfiltered.”

      After releasing their debut EP 'Versions Of You' in 2023, Rocket has been supported on tour by bands like Ride, Sunny Day Real Estate, and Silversun Pickups. They recently opened for The Smashing Pumpkins during their major show at Gunnersbury Park in London this summer. “They were incredibly kind and caring,” Alithea shares. “The atmosphere was very welcoming.” Did they inquire about the origin of the band's name? “They didn’t ask!” Desi jokingly replies. The following day, they headlined their first UK show at the Windmill in Brixton, marking their first headline performance outside the US, and they sold it out. “It was absolutely mind-blowing for us,” Alithea reflects. It’s no surprise that they have plans for a full UK and European headline tour come February.

      By that time, they’ll have a collection of new songs. Everything they’ve gained from live performances has informed their debut album, 'R Is For Rocket', which Desi produced and engineered by himself. “When we perform live, we learn things we didn’t know we wanted to play,” Cooper theorizes. “We consistently experiment with new ideas. It's beneficial to play a variety of songs for an audience before heading into the studio. We recorded some tracks last January, embarked on a tour, and performed many of those songs repeatedly. Personally, I experienced a noticeable evolution in my playing style and fills.”

      Naturally, Rocket aspires to what most bands seek - large stages, meaningful human connections, and the chance for their music to take them around the globe. Their even bigger ambition, however, is to become the soundtrack to people's lives. “I believe having our art resonate with