The incredible Alice Guala, one half of rock duo Lake Malice, is an absolute powerhouse. She’s fun and kind and has a lot of time for her fans and those around her. I got the chance to speak to her at 2000 Trees festival and talked imposter syndrome, first records and tomatoes.
Natasha: Your latest single ‘Scatterbrain’ focuses on a digitally-connected but disconnected world, which is something we can all relate to in 2025. Can you tell us about that song and what it means to you?
Alice: We wrote that song in a period where we wanted to chase some sort of dream that is outside of our, you know, day-to-day job, or nine to five. I felt like it was really hard to cope with reality in all senses, so that song is really about our daily life. It feels like everything, when it’s not music, and it’s not the dream, is all very repetitive and mundane and highly disorganised most of the time. The more going on in your life, the less you’re able to manage it. It’s just natural, if you give some someone too much stuff to do.
Things will just overflow?
Yeah, it does overflow, all the time for us, so it was really about that. It’s trying to cope with the reality of being split in two, this you know, world of rock and roll and normal life.
Do you never get imposter syndrome?
Yes, exactly. I feel like we get it way too much. We shouldn’t, I wish we were more confident about stuff. We feel constantly like we shouldn’t be where we are, and especially because we are quite slow to release music
There’s nothing wrong with the slow release – slow burns are good for a reason!
Thank you! Yes, You’re right.
Okay, what or who inspired you to pursue music professionally?
The first time I bought records I was 12, and I bought a Linkin Park record and a Christina Aguilera record. So, I felt like that mix was inspiring; I was watching videos and being like, yes, I want to be making rock music, but I also want to be in pop and choreography. So many of us we grew up thinking you can only like rock or pop, but liking music for both.
And many great bands capture that blend. We’re the generation where Linkin Park and Jay-Z remixed Numb and moshers and normies found common ground.
Yeah! It was a great year in music. So good, I lit up.
Okay, so what is in the works for Lake Malice? Do we have some more releases to look forward to?
We do! We’re in the process of arranging campaigns and thinking about how we want stuff to look now, artwork and music videos, and all of that. The struggle I think is, because we’re on the road a lot, its budgeting for that stuff. It’s very difficult working with those constraints. So more to come, wish us luck!
I wish you all of the luck! What is this the wildest or funniest thing a fan has ever given you?
Fans bring me tomatoes all the time! I’m Italian. I’m obsessed with tomatoes. The way they taste in Italy, to me is, like, unbeatable. So I was rating them in every country of Europe and they started bringing them to every show. I couldn’t finish them. I felt really bad! Can you all bring less tomatoes so I can actually make a sauce out of them?
That’s hilarious! So, any words of wisdom or advice for anyone reading this aspiring to be a musician?
Surround yourself with people who actually give a crap. And if you have a gut feeling that they don’t, just trust it as much as you can and I think that you’re going to be right about it. Don’t listen to the guys. Sometimes they’re naïve and they don’t see it. Listen to yourself.
Excellent. Alice, what’s your favourite dinosaur?
Oh! T-Rex with short arms, I love them!