The many instrumental flourishes – whether it’s the delicate little piano notes at the beginning, the virtuosic flute solos, or the horn section that fades out the track – make it all work, and this build-up as well as the interplay between Ford and Altameda vocalist Troy Snaterse make this one an all-encompassing experience. The duo’s questions go mostly unanswered in the song, but seem to celebrate the power of love as something that gives it all meaning. Simply in having enough introspective qualities to begin asking these questions, though, Altameda and Frazey Ford are already one step ahead.   

We caught up with Snaterse below to talk about leading with love, building on Born Losers, and Bob Dylan. 

How’s the new year been treating you both? Where are you guys writing us from? 

So far so good! It sounds bougie, but I am writing from a beach town in the Dominican Republic called Las Terrenas. I got married in September, and am currently on my honeymoon. 

Congrats on the new single! What are some of your favourite lyrical moments on “What Good Am I?” What inspired these words and what do they mean to you?

Thank you. I am quite satisfied with the lyrics for this song. I’ve been trying to make a conscious effort in my writing to be more concise lyrically, and to say more with less. I feel that I’ve achieved that to some degree with this song. The song is inspired by a question that I’m sure everybody has asked themselves: “What good am I?” To the people in my life, to my partner, to the world at large, etc. 

We love what Frazey Ford brings to the track. How did you two first meet her? How did this collab come about? 

We love it also. Funnily enough, we’ve never met in person, only spoken over the phone. We were thinking this song could work as a duet, and when we were considering who we would be interested in having on it, her name came up. It was unanimous that she would be perfect for it, and thankfully when we reached out, she was gracious enough to agree. Her delicate and breathy delivery is exactly what the song called for, and we wouldn’t be happier to have her on it.  

What have you been listening to lately?

My current obsessive listen is a song called “I’m So Serious” by an artist named Daryl Johns. Just a very catchy power pop song that is reminiscent of Jackson Browne’s “Somebody’s Baby” if it had a love child with The Exploding Hearts. I also have been listening to a lot of Gary Stewart and Wings. 

What can we expect from the rest of the forthcoming album and how has it evolved from Born Losers? Is there a release date on the calendar yet? 

This new record feels like an extension of Born Losers in some ways. We went into the studio with more material than we ever have before, and tracked about 20 songs. We’ve whittled it down to 11 for the record itself, but will likely release another EP shortly afterwards. Sonically, I think we’ve expanded upon what we did for the last release, and I think the songs are our strongest to date. 

This is a song about self-reflection – what would you say to someone who might find themselves in the mindset to be asking its titular question?

I might say that the answer to the question is in the love you give. As long as you are leading with love and approaching every situation peacefully, then you are doing all that you can to bring good to the people around you.

I recently watched A Complete Unknown, so hearing a song like this makes me think about the history of folk and the intentions of those writing it – why do you think music like this has stood the test of time?

I think this type of music is human music in its purest form. Expressing the human experience, and trying to boil that down to a poetic conclusion. I did see the movie – I am a massive Dylan fan, so it was pretty high priority. My honest opinion is that I wish it would’ve spanned more of his life and career. There are many post ‘60s eras that I think would have been nice to shed some light on, since that particular part of his career is already so well documented. However, I know discovering his music as a kid changed my life, and if it means that other kids out there will discover him through this film, then that’s a great thing. 

What’s next for Altameda? Any goals or New Year’s resolutions we should know about?

We are heading on a UK tour at the end of this month, and will be continuing to put out new music and play shows. We had a bit of a break from the road throughout 2024, and so we are itching to get back out there. A New Year’s resolution would be to exercise patience and gratitude as much as possible this year. If you’ve been following the band, we immensely appreciate your support, and we hope to see you at a show soon!