New Jersey project Almost Alive enters a heavier and more emotionally direct era with the release of ‘Deep Down’, the first glimpse into forthcoming album Undercurrent.
Led by artist and producer Evan Kanter, the project has built a reputation for fusing cinematic modern rock with AI-assisted production, but this latest chapter sees Almost Alive diving headfirst into the raw intensity of grunge and alternative rock. Inspired by formative influences like Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Foo Fighters, and Soundgarden, ‘Deep Down’ strips away restraint in favour of urgency, grit, and emotional honesty.
We caught up with Evan Kanter to discuss the making of ‘Deep Down’, the role of AI in modern rock, and why grunge still feels vital in 2026.
–
What inspired you to start making music, and when did it all begin for you?
My wife is a professional musician, and we wrote a song together called Go West. After that experience, I realized I actually had the ability to write a decent song. My background is really in technology, but I’ve always been a huge fan of rock music going all the way back to the ‘90s.
What really changed things for me was the evolution of AI music tools. Over the last few years, the technology finally reached a point where it became possible to create rock music that felt authentic, emotional, and professionally produced. That opened the door for me creatively and pushed me to fully dive into making music.
How would you describe your sound to someone who’s never heard your music before?
I try to make music that I personally would want to listen to. Most of my songs live somewhere in the modern rock world, but I’ve explored a few different directions so far – modern rock, hard rock, grunge rock, and cinematic electronic rock.
A lot of the music is inspired by the bands I grew up listening to as a fan, but I still want each album to have its own identity and atmosphere. Right now the sound is continuing to evolve, especially with the upcoming grunge-focused Undercurrent album.
What’s your creative process like when writing or producing a track?
The process usually starts with a concept, mood, or feeling I want the song to capture. From there, I use AI tools like Suno for music creation and ChatGPT to help refine lyrics, themes, artwork ideas, and production direction.
Even though AI is part of the workflow, there’s still a lot of human decision-making involved. I spend a lot of time shaping arrangements, adjusting lyrics, refining melodies, and making sure the songs feel emotionally real and cohesive.
Who are your biggest musical influences, and how have they shaped your sound?
For the darker, cinematic albums like Pulse and Hypnotica, I was heavily inspired by bands like Tool, Radiohead, and Nine Inch Nails. I loved the immersive, layered, album-focused approach those artists took, and that definitely influenced how I built those records.
For the newer grunge material and Undercurrent, the inspiration comes more from classic grunge and alternative rock bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, and Soundgarden. I wanted those songs to feel raw, energetic, and emotionally grounded while still sounding modern.
What themes or messages do you find yourself coming back to in your music?
Each album usually has a central atmosphere or emotional theme that ties everything together.
For Undercurrent, I wanted the album to feel like a moody, rainy day in Seattle during the ‘90s. Every song approaches that feeling from a slightly different perspective, whether it’s emotional isolation, personal reflection, anxiety, or momentum through difficult situations.
For Pulse and Hypnotica, the focus was more on hypnotic rhythm, immersive energy, and cinematic atmosphere. Those albums were designed to feel progressive, layered, and almost trance-like at times.
I enjoy building albums that feel cohesive from beginning to end rather than just collections of unrelated songs, and that’s something I’ll continue exploring in future releases.
Tell us about your latest release — what’s the story behind it?
My latest release is the upcoming album Undercurrent. So far, two songs from the project have been released publicly: “Deep Down” and “Hit Refresh.”
“Deep Down” is really the centerpiece of the album. It’s a heavy grunge rock track that captures a lot of the raw energy and emotional weight that made grunge music so powerful in the first place. I wanted it to feel familiar to fans of that era while still sounding fresh and modern.
“Hit Refresh” goes in a different direction stylistically. The song focuses on our constant relationship with phones, notifications, and the habit of endlessly checking for updates. Musically, it leans more into alternative and indie rock influences with a brighter energy.
At the same time, we’ve also been promoting “Pieces Click,” which comes from the darker electronic-rock side of the project catalog. That song is much more hypnotic and layered, built around atmosphere and momentum. I think it highlights the wider range of sounds the project explores overall.
What’s been the most exciting or surprising moment of your music journey so far?
Honestly, the most surprising part has been seeing how quickly the AI tools continue to evolve. Every few months the quality level improves dramatically, and it keeps opening new creative possibilities.
It’s also been exciting seeing listeners genuinely connect with the music. Songs like “My Reflection,” “Deep Down,” and “Pieces Click” showed me that people are open to this new style of music creation as long as the songs themselves feel authentic and emotionally real.
What challenges have you faced as a new artist, and how are you working through them?
One of the biggest challenges has been learning how to properly develop and market music as a new artist. Writing songs is one thing, but building an audience, promoting releases, creating visuals, running campaigns, and understanding streaming platforms is a completely different skill set.
I’m still learning constantly, but I try to approach it the same way I approach technology projects – experimenting, improving over time, and staying consistent with releases and promotion.
How are you using social media and online platforms to grow your audience?
A lot of the growth has come through streaming playlists, social media promotion, lyric videos, and online music communities. I spend a lot of time building visual content and trying to create a consistent identity around each album and release.
Platforms like Spotify, YouTube, and Facebook have been important for reaching listeners organically, especially because independent artists now have more ways than ever to connect directly with fans.
What’s your vision for the future? Any dream collabs, goals, or projects you’re working toward?
My biggest goal right now is continuing to evolve the project album by album and push the sound further creatively. I want each release to feel distinct while still fitting into the larger identity of the project.
I’m especially interested in exploring the intersection between rock music, cinematic production, and AI-assisted creativity in ways that still feel emotionally human. Long term, I’d love to continue building a catalog of albums that people can experience front-to-back.
Right now, the main focus is continuing to build momentum around Undercurrent while developing future projects that expand even further into grunge, modern rock, and cinematic electronic rock.
–
Listen to Almost Alive’s new single ‘Deep Down’ below.