This pop and new-disco group germinated from talk on the sands of Park Point beach. Guitarist Peter Knutson was on board for “something fresh, exciting and with a danceable groove” as drummer Rio Daugherty and bassist Alex Piazza dreamed next to Lake Superior in August of 2015. They added vocals from Nathan Holte and keyboard from Ned Netzel and got started under the band name PLAY DATE. When the Red Herring came calling in March 2016 looking for an opener for Aaron Carter, they only had 25 minutes of music. Knutson says the “steamy set was well received” by the female throng waiting to see their guilty pop pleasure in Carter. Unfortunately, after a year of making a name for themselves, band members received a cease and desist letter from another group called Playdate, and a rebranding was in order. In February the moniker Àlamode was chosen.