Caroline Davis created the band, Alula, to seek out electronic components in her performances and compositions. On their first album, released in 2019 on New Amsterdam Records, the trio included synthesizer contributions from Matt Mitchell (Linda Oh, Dave Douglas, Tim Berne, Fiction) and the drum and percussion voice of Greg Saunier (Deerhoof, Dal Niente, Mystical Weapons). Davis’ first compositions arose after a stimulating read of The Sibley Guide to Birds, where she learned about “...this magical structure on bird wings that appeared during moments of take off, flight, and landing” was immediately drawn to it. Of her first release, The New York Times remarked, "you can hear Ms. Davis's talent for deriving long, dizzying motifs from smaller melodic cells." A forthcoming album will present a similar balance of improvised and composed material amongst electronic samples from freedom fighters held in captivity for wrongful convictions. Alula’s current lineup features Chris Tordini (electric bass) and Kate Gentile (drums).