For Almost Alive, artificial intelligence isn’t intended to replace creativity; it’s another instrument in the toolbox. The modern rock project created by software engineer and video game developer Evan Kanter has spent recent years exploring the meeting point between emerging technology and traditional rock songwriting, accumulating more than one million streams along the way.
Now, ‘Moon Come Down’ signals perhaps its most ambitious evolution yet. The first single from forthcoming album Headwinds draws inspiration from the imposing post-grunge of Soundgarden and Audioslave, pairing heavyweight guitars with a suitably surreal concept: the moon slowly descending towards Earth.
That idea also became the foundation for his first AI music video, an intricately constructed visual project created across several platforms and manually assembled over weeks. Significantly, it also introduces an AI representation of Kanter himself as Almost Alive’s frontman for the first time.
With Headwinds promising a deeper exploration of muscular late-’90s and early-2000s alternative rock, we caught up with Evan Kanter to discuss ‘Moon Come Down’, creating his first AI music video, stepping into the spotlight and his evolving philosophy around technology and musicianship.
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What inspired you to start making music, and when did it all begin for you?
It really started with my wife, who’s a professional musician. We wrote a song together called “Go West” and going through that process was the first time I realized I could actually write a decent song myself. Before that, music was something I loved as a fan, not something I made; my day-to-day background is in tech, and I’ve been a fan of rock music since the ’90s.
The real turning point was watching AI music tools mature. Once the technology got good enough to produce rock that actually felt authentic and emotionally real, not just technically competent, I didn’t have a good reason to hold back anymore. That’s what pushed me from dabbling into fully committing to making records.
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 deliberately pushed into a few different directions – hard rock, grunge rock, and cinematic electronic rock. A lot of it is inspired by the bands I grew up listening to as a fan, but I make a point of giving each album its own identity and atmosphere rather than repeating myself.
Right now I’m focused on Moon Come Down, which just came out along with its first music video. I also have Undercurrent, a grunge rock album, and Headwinds, which is finished and ready for release – it has a slightly heavier sound, closer to Soundgarden and Audioslave.
What’s your creative process like when writing or producing a track?
It 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 with AI in 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, including Undercurrent and the upcoming album Headwinds, 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 – emotional isolation, personal reflection, anxiety, momentum through difficult situations.
For the upcoming album Headwinds, I was going for a heavier sequel to Undercurrent – a grittier sound that pushes further into heavier grunge and modern rock. I also wanted to start making music videos for this album, so I put considerable effort into fine-tuning a process for that. It’s something I’ll definitely keep doing on future releases.
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 keep exploring going forward.
Tell us about your latest release — what’s the story behind it?
Moon Come Down is a post-grunge song built around the idea of creating a truly memorable music video. I drew inspiration from Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” – not just musically, but in the whole approach to pairing a song with a video that sticks with people. The image of a moon coming down to earth was just so vivid on its own that it demanded a fun story and a song to match.
It’s personally a milestone release for me – my first AI-made music video, and the first time I’ve shown up as the lead singer of Almost Alive, even if it’s through my AI avatar. This song is really expanding what Almost Alive can be, and I’m excited to finally share it.
What’s been the most exciting or surprising moment of your music journey so far?
Honestly, the most surprising part has been watching how fast the AI tools keep evolving. Every few months the quality jumps again, and it keeps opening up creative possibilities I didn’t have before.
What’s been just as exciting is 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 of rock music, cinematic production, and AI-assisted creativity in ways that still feel emotionally human. Long term, I’d love to keep building a catalog of albums people can experience front-to-back.
I’m also really starting to enjoy making music videos for the songs, and I’ll definitely have more of those to release soon.
Right now, the main focus is building momentum around the upcoming album Headwinds, while developing future projects that push the sound even further.
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Watch the new video for Almost Alive’s ‘Moon Come Down’ below.