Austin group Almost Heaven released their latest EP titled RAW CRANIUM, and celebrate the launch of their independent record label RAW CRANIUM RECORDS. Off Record Media has the wonderful opportunity to chat with the duo about their release.
Electronica duo Almost Heaven is composed of Jaelyn Valero and Stefan Barraza. The pair share a deep respect for one another. During the interview, the two were consistently making space for one another to talk and shine, you could tell it was second nature for them to share.
Both Jaelyn and Stefan are visual and sound specialists. When asked, they shared that music and video ideas tend to be born at the same time. They have genius-level foresight and intend to create an entire universe for their sound to live in. Almost Heaven is just one avenue for their expression, as they began Raw Cranium Records this year.
Drummer Jaelyn Valero is the editor-in-chief for Locket Magazine, “we like to call ourselves a ripoff 90’s pop culture magazine, but it’s hyper local to the Austin creative scene. It’s really about archiving all of the amazing work we’re doing as a community, but kind of in a fun format that’s like a magazine you would get at HEB when you’re grocery shopping with your mom.”
Jaelyn mentioned how Stefan does graphic design for Locket magazine and her love for collaboration with him. (He also edited their music video for “fever trying to blow”.)
The two beamed as they talked about their friends Justin Heron and Sebastian Saef, two creatives responsible for most of the band’s photography and videography. They nodded in agreement as they talked about their plans for Raw Cranium Records, like watching two siblings speak of their homeland, referencing streets and rivers only they could visualize and confirm. Their combined ambition left me in awe.
When asked about the panning on their track “oscillation”, Stefan remarked, “that’s the type of stuff that I’m so meticulous about. I don’t even know if anyone’s going to notice, but who cares? The panning feels so good to me, you know? It’s like rubbing a towel through your ears.”
The two are deeply detail-oriented. They adjust with intention. They have a clear vision for their project and don’t stop until they’ve reached the top. Their passion is seemingly infinite.
They are resourceful, with the ability to make something out of nothing. Yet, they are not bottomless wells, they are flesh and bone with all the anxieties that come with existing. “I do a lot of breathing exercises, actually,” admitted Jaelyn. On top of her work with Almost Heaven, Raw Cranium Records and Locket Magazine, she is also drums for Farmer’s Wife and various other projects around the city.
Almost Heaven’s success was predetermined by the stars, fate and hard work got these two to where they are today. This is just the beginning, too. In the future, the two want to plan more events, citing Frost Children and Bassvictim as two groups they’d love to host at Kingdom. Stefan says, “it’s the best sound system in Austin, in my opinion.”
Stefan ends by announcing, “Fuck ICE”, the warmth in his presence actively melting the hate with stoic indifference.
Raw Cranium EP is out now on all streaming platforms.
I am a student at Texas State studying Digital Media and Psychology. I am always carrying my camera with me, it feels like my true voice. Some of my favorite artists are Courtney Barnett, Tainy, Frank Ocean, Art Lown, Fleshwater, Turnover, SZA and Wynton Kelly. Central Texas always has talented people passing through and I try to catch as many shows I can. I really love fashion, part of the fun of going to a concert is seeing what the artists wear on stage and everyone's outfits in the crowd. I tend to use musical elements in my fashion photography, the two are so intertwined to me. I also love to read and run, but not always at the same time.
