The Aces

Playing shimmering indie pop with an electronic edge, the Aces are a quartet hailing from Provo, Utah. Mixing the clear pop vocal stylings of Cristal Ramirez with the harmonies of her bandmates, layers of atmospheric guitar jangle, and dance-friendly rhythms, the Aces demonstrated they could lend an accessible air to indie-oriented sounds on their first album, 2018′s When My Heart Felt Volcanic. 2020′s Under My Influence beefed up the R&B influences and electronic accents that were in the background on their debut effort.
The Aces were formed in 2008 by singer and guitarist Cristal Ramirez, guitarist Katie Henderson, bass player McKenna Petty, and drummer Alisa Ramirez (Cristal’s sister). The members of the group were longtime friends, and it didn’t take long for them to click as songwriters and musicians. They began performing under the name the Blue Aces, and were soon playing at teen events and school assemblies. As their popularity grew, they made their way into Provo music clubs (aided by the fact that many venues in the area don’t serve alcohol, making them open to teenage bands), and their reputation spread across the state as they issued a seven-song EP in 2012. The online magazine Provo Buzz named them one of the city’s ten best bands, and Paste Magazine included them in their feature “10 Best Utah Bands You Should Know.”
They shortened their name to the Aces in 2016 and struck a deal with Red Bull Music, which released the single “Stuck” in March of that year. “Stuck” racked up more than two-million plays on streaming services, and gave them their first taste of national success. A second Aces single from Red Bull, “Physical,” followed in April 2017. February 2018 saw the release of the single “Lovin’ Is Bible” in anticipation of the arrival of their full-length debut, When My Heart Felt Volcanic, which arrived later that April. After the album came out, the Aces hit the road, opening tours for 5 Seconds of Summer and COIN, as well as headlining a run of shows of their own. In 2020, three new tracks from the Aces appeared on streaming services, “Daydream,” “Lost Angeles,” and “My Phone Is Trying to Kill Me.” The tracks showed off a cleaner, harder sound with a noticeable R&B edge, a creative evolution that dominated their second album, Under My Influence, which was released in June 2020. In early 2021, a pair of Under My Influence bonus tracks, “Sleepy Eyes” and “Aren’t You,” were released online. ~ Mark Deming