Bands Through Town Magazine, Issue 8

Photo:

Cover photography by Cory Weaver

Japanese Breakfast at The Pageant

Photo: Sean Rider

Cory

Jennifer

Mark

Sean Rider

Sharon

Brian

Story: Madisyn Siebert

Photos: Cory Weaver

Sugar Water in the Breeze: Summer Night With MT. JOY

Matt Quinn opened Mt. Joy’s show on June 23 at the Pageant with the lyrics, “I’m sitting here in a boring room,” but let me tell you it was very far from that. The Pageant was packed to the brim and everyone was ready to watch Mt. Joy. They brought their latest album Orange Blood to life this summer, making their way across the country to reground fans into the feeling of soft summer nights and blissful peace once again. St. Louis was blessed to have heard the band perform songs off the new album, since it only dropped a week prior to the concert.

Mt. Joy helps melt folk, country and rock into a perfect concoction that instantly has listeners craving just one more sip, like a perfectly made whiskey sour you nurse into the night because you don’t ever want to hit the bottom of the cup. The crowd that night desired the same thing; they never wanted to hit the bottom of their cup and hoped the show would last forever. It was evident from the moment the band stepped on stage that the crowd felt this way, singing over the band and throwing themselves into the music.

“It feels great to be back in St. Louis. Thanks for showing up,” Quinn said between songs. “Last time we were supposed to be the opener but the headliner didn’t show up, so it’s great to be the headliner,” he chuckled while the crowd only erupted into more cheers around them. It was clear the band was there to enjoy themselves, just like the crowd.

The band played classics like, “Astrovan” and “Sheep” before playing new music like “Orange Blood” and “Lemon Tree.” The band was able to riff off one another and transition smoothly into songs, making me feel like they were experimenting on stage right in front of the crowd. They intertwined drum solos, guitar solos and, my personal favorite, piano solos (shout out to Jackie Miclau for making piano solos rock again), and would get the crowd on their toes for whatever could be thrown at them next.

Quinn took an opportunity to introduce a new song, “Johnson Song,” with a wide grin on his face. “The next song started off as a joke and then turned into an even bigger joke and we’re proud of that,” he said. The band began to rock, all five of them tuning into the song and then welcoming a random group of girls to join them on stage and dance around with them and bask in the moment. The crowd thought this was just a tradition, but Quinn clarified after the song, “It is the first night we ever let fans on stage with us like that, but we think we want to keep doing it moving forward.”

Another callout from the night was the band’s choice of cover songs. I can’t help but think about how the five members of the band sat down, throwing out songs until they landed on “Fire on the Mountain” by Grateful Dead and “Do You Realize” by The Flaming Lips. I have a feeling the band wanted to showcase some songs that could really display their depth and talent in the world of rock.

Speaking of covers, the band did a great job of live mixing their song “Julia”—a song about getting too high in a restaurant as Quinn described it—with “Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers and “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley. This combo truly showed the soul and depth that goes into their music and sound. It was a moment where I felt like Mt. Joy was once again proving their talent and why they deserve to be your next folk-rock band, like The Lumineers but better.

They led the audience to the last sips of their cups by ending with their songs, “Bug Eyes,” “Bathroom Light” and their best seller, “Silver Lining.” You could tell the crowd did not want the moment to end and go back to the real world. But, just like Mary Poppins, the band left knowing they have to share what they have to offer with everyone and will return to St. Louis when we need it most. Mt. Joy fans are ones that may not run wide, but their fans run deep and you can see the love and admiration they give them. The best part is, the band recognizes it too.

I can’t wait to bathe in the music of Mt. Joy in person again one day and enjoy the steady sips from a once-again full cup, but until then I will get my fill from the beautiful summer nights on my back porch with their music cruising through the air from my own personal speaker.

Story: Madisyn Siebert

Photos: Sean Rider

Whimsical and pure joy are the best words I can find to describe after watching Michelle Zauner, a.k.a. Japanese Breakfast, on stage at the Pageant on July 15. Her cheeriness and ability to get lost in her own world was unforgettable.

A crowded room of all ages—from grandparents, Grammy snobs, children, those who only listen to the top 100 and those who despise the top 100—came together to relish in the presence and the world Zauner can create simply by being herself. Skilled in guitar, piano, singing—of course—and even the gong, she is the show. The changing lights that melt behind her are an asset to her storytelling as she completely captures the world she is seeing.

There are moments when she willingly breaks this trance though, whether that is a background on a song or to let the crowd know she is a “basic boba bitch.” But, even with her side stories, the main story she is performing for the crowd is never lost.

The majority of the concert she focused on her latest album, Jubilee, which was released in 2021. She played many singles off the album, including “Paprika,” “Be Sweet” and “Kokomo, IN”—a place that she clarifies she has never even visited. What sets Zauner apart from many artists, in my opinion, is that she opened with her “big hits.” A typical artist would save these for the end, building up the anticipation of the crowd, but Zauner knocked them out of the way.

Now, I cannot read her mind, but my best guess is that she wants people to stick around for her music, not just one or two songs that blew up. People who wanted to hear “Be Sweet” can leave after just two songs if that is the only reason they came to see her.

She knows her true fans will enjoy the journey with her and travel down the winding roads of more intricate stories that maybe did not quite meet radio standards, like “This House” and “Posing for Cars.”

“This House” clearly holds a soft spot in Zauner’s heart. When introducing the song she said, “We are gonna play one we haven’t played in a little while.” She welcomed bandmate Craig Hendrix back on stage, stating, “This is Craig. Craig and I produced Soft Sounds from Another Planet five years ago in a freezing warehouse in Philadelphia, and now the two of us are Grammy-nominated artists. I wrote this song coming (back) from going to his house waiting to go home after a long tour and I was sitting in his kitchen. It’s called ‘This House’.”

Zauner can take you up and down quickly—from standing alone on stage singing and strumming the guitar, to performing “Posing for Cars” and slowly having band members join her one by one, to finishing her set in a full psychedelic rock-out with “Diving Woman.”

All this being said, Zauner continues to surprise, such as in her intro to “Machinist” when she stated, “This song is about falling in love with a robot,” or when she explained that she knew nothing about the characters in Sable, the video game she wrote a soundtrack for. But a favorite surprise was a side story that even Zauner admitted she didn’t know why she started telling (which, in my opinion, usually ends up being the best story). She told the audience of a Twitter fight she got in earlier that day with an alt-right user and how she had been using the Duolingo app to prepare for a festival she is playing in Seoul later this year. She explained how the app recently gave her a new mantra, “You’re good looking.”

She took the exhaustion out of her Twitter fight by ending it simply with the reply of, “I am too beautiful for this conversation.” And now I believe I will be using this as inspiration when I remember people are not worth my energy, whether that is online or in real life.

Zauner’s journey is still continuing, and I am eager to see what magical world she will bring us into next.

Why stop at breakfast? The Linda Lindas, LA’s all-girl teenage rock foursome who are bound for a second wave of stardom, opened. They ended their 14-song set with their anthem, “Racist, Sexist Boy.”

Craig and I produced Soft Sounds from Another

Planet five years ago in a freezing warehouse in Philadelphia, and now the two of us are Grammynominated artists. “

The second show of Courtney Barnett’s Here and There festival took place at The Factory in Chesterfield on Tuesday, Aug. 9, where she was joined by Lucy Dacus and Quinn Christopherson. The touring festival consists of 24 different artists and 15 tour dates. Barnett has stated, “It’s always been important to me to share the stage with people that I admire and artists that inspire me,” and the show at The Factory was full of nothing other than sizzling inspiration.

They may say millennials ruin everything, but that’s not the case for indie music. Black boots, mom jeans, and colorful hair filled the space in front of the stage. Barnett emerged in a royal blue t-shirt, black jeans, and black boots as a faded teal screen and a cross light appeared. She started the set with “Rae Street” from her latest album Things Take Time, Take Time. Every single inch of the stage was covered by Barnett as she was constantly headbanging and shredding on the guitar as strobe lights emphasized her almost uncontrollable movements. Trippy visuals and smoke machines added to the sensational experience and completely captivated the crowd.

Courtney’s 18-track set included singles “Avant Gardener,” “Elevator Operator,” and “Write a List of Things to Look Forward To”—all to which the audience screamed every line. Relatable lyrics combined with genius musical structure and a hallucinatory ambiance made it hard for anyone to look away. On top of that, Courtney never put the guitar down throughout the entire set. Well, except for her song “Turning Green” where she exemplified the means of her talent and replaced it with a cowbell instead.

The hands of the crowd pulsed into the air once more as Barnett ended the night with an encore that included “Oh the Night” with Quinn Christopherson and her single “Before You Gotta Go.”

Opener Dacus’ set began as the lights went off and a blue screen with a spinning tape cassette replicating the cover of her latest album, Home Video, appeared out of static. Twelve vintage theater lights began to alternate blinking as she took center stage wearing a white-collared shirt, black pants, white sneakers, a classic red lip and a dark blue electric guitar draped over her. The air was sucked out of the room as she began with “Triple Dog Dare.” The crowd grasped onto one another and began bouncing up and down as the energy of the song gradually heightened. Dacus then began intimately interacting with the crowd immediately by sharing that St. Louis is her brother’s favorite city in the world and asking, “Did any of you go to vacation Bible school?” to which a slightly sarcastic crowd cheer emerged as her single “VBS” began.

A wave of heavy emotion came over the crowd as Lucy took center stage with her hands clasped in front of her and began belting out the heartfelt words to her single “Thumbs.” The slight rumble and moment of silence after the line, “Do you get the checks I send on your birthday?” gave just enough time for the crowds’ eyes to cover in a thick gloss. Dacus quickly picked back up the energy with “I Don’t Wanna Be Funny Anymore” and “Kissing Lessons.”

The 12-track set was a rollercoaster of emotions to say the least. Following “Please Stay,” Lucy even said, “Deep breath, we’re gonna play a bop to make up for that,” before going right into a mastered cover of Cher’s “Believe.” The final song of the night was Lucy’s hit single “Night Shift,” which sent chills up the spines of the audience as everyone in the room threw their hands up into the air and painfully screamed the heartwrenching lyrics.

Every single inch of the stage was covered by Barnett as she was constantly headbanging and shredding on the guitar as strobe lights emphasized her almost uncontrollable movements. “

Story: Jennifer R. Weaver

Photos: Cory Weaver

Summer in the Midwest means many things. Baseball games, backyard pool parties, barbecued meats. It also means it’s time for Hinterland Music Festival. The annual event takes place each August in St. Charles, Iowa, a small town about 20 miles south of Des Moines. The festival has boasted a slew of wellknown headliners over the past seven years, including Brandi Carlisle, Wille Nelson, alt-J, Sturgill Simpson, Hozier, the Avett Brothers and Leon Bridges. Originally a two-day festival that started in 2015, Hinterland expanded to three days in 2019, and a fourth day was added this year to include a Thursday lineup. The music focuses on indie rock, Americana, and country, but always seems to include a few surprises—this year hard rock/metal and R&B.

Our Thursday coverage began with rising country star Sierra Ferrell, who looked like a tattooed goddess bedecked in a beautiful white tasseled dress and a tall crown that resembled sun rays. The crowd cheered wildly when she invited headliner Billy Strings on stage to perform a cover of “Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down” and “Bells of Every Chapel,” a song he helped Ferrell record on her 2021 album Long Time Coming During Strings’ set, he returned the favor, bringing Ferrell back to the stage to perform a couple songs with him, including a cover of Dave Evans’ classic bluegrass gem, “One Loaf of Bread,” and finishing the set with another cover: “I Don’t Want Your Rambling Letters.” Strings has a cult-like following of fans who (not-so-)affectionately refer to him as Billy “MF” Strings. We’ll let you, dear reader, figure out the “MF.”

Friday’s heat did not dissuade the crowds from filing into Hinterland, although festival goers huddled as much as possible in the limited amounts of shady spots throughout the grounds. By 4:30, Griffin Washburn, a.k.a., Goth Babe, was ready to make his Iowa concert debut. His indie-rock style laced with an electronic effervescence had the crowd swaying with “Moments/Tides,” “Sometimes,” “Canary Islands,” a cover of Drake’s “Forever” and “Encinitas.” During the show, Washburn bantered with fans and checked in to see if they were surviving the heat—as many other performers did throughout the weekend. At one point he invited audience members to crowd-surf on a watermelon raft (pictured). His sound often has a laidback, synth-pop/rock style that feels right for a West Coast artist of the genre; other times the influences of 1980s new-wave artists like Depeche Mode and New Order shine through more intensely.

Music festival attendees often peg certain artists as “must-sees,” but the smart ones remain open to experiencing music that is new to them, and that’s part of the thrill of it—discovering new music interests while artists gain new fans. This was the case for us with Briston Maroney. The Tennessee-based rocker brought his guitar skills to the late-afternoon heat, which continued its unrelenting beatdown. For better or worse, the crowd heated up as well, raising the temperature in

the GA area in front of the stage as Maroney performed, seemingly unfazed by the summer sun. He opened with songs from his 2021 release Sunflower: the catchy “Bottle Rocket” followed by “It’s Still Cool If You Don’t,” stopping the song at one point to make sure an overheated fan was okay. He dotted the set with older songs, including “Fool’s Gold,” “Small Talk,” “Caroline” and “I’ve Been Waiting,” then

touched back on Sunflower for “Rollercoaster.” He ended the set with the post-punk inspired, infectiously good “Steve’s First Bruise” and the anthemic “Freakin’ Out on the Interstate.”

As we made our way into early evening, it was The Aces’ turn, and the vibes that Katie Henderson (guitar), McKenna Petty (bass) and sisters Cristal Ramirez (lead vocals, guitar) and Alisa Ramirez (drums) brought to the stage were a nice change of pace. Similar to many other artists over the weekend, Cristal Ramirez declared that this was the Utah-based band’s first time playing Iowa (she thought) as they started with the bouncy “Stay,” from 2018’s When My Heart Felt Volcanic, and followed with the poppy “Bad Love,” from the same album. Despite technical difficulties that were interspersed throughout the set, The Aces persisted, filling the time with stories and an impromptu acoustic version of Outkast’s “Hey Ya,” while their latest single, “Girls Make Me Wanna Die,” was well-received by the audience once the sound difficulties seemed to be under control. They closed with 2020’s “Daydream” and “My Phone Is Trying to Kill Me.”

“IYKYK” is one way to describe Turnstile, the Baltimore band that played as the sun was setting on the sweaty crowd of people crammed in front of the stage. Another, more accurate, way to describe the four-piece is “hardcore, raucous, guitarheavy and metal-influenced.” A definite favorite of Bands Through Town’s fearless leader, Turnstile turned it up for 90 minutes with a set that included fan-favorite “Mystery,” “Real Thing,” “Blackout” “Underwater Boi,” “Don’t Play,” “Fazed Out,” “Fly Again” and “Moon.” Turnstile is helmed by vocalist Brendan Yates, but mid-set the band did a 180 musically, and bassist Franz Lyons took the lead with “No Surprise,” a toned-down, synth-y break from all of the head-banging. The heavy guitars then resumed, and the band rounded out their time at Hinterland with three songs that had the crowd going wild: “Alien Love Call,” “Holiday” and “T.L.C. (Turnstile Love Connection).”

(Above): Cristal Ramirez and McKenna Petty of The Aces. (Below): Briston Maroney impresses before heading off to San Francisco for the Outsidelands Music Festival.

(Above): Turnstile’s frontman, Brendan Yates.

(Below): Lake Street Dive’s enchanting Rachael Price.

Glass Animals, the Friday headliner, transported the audience back in time, performing against a neon backdrop of words and images that elicited thoughts of a 1980s summer: PacMan, Rubik’s cube, pool, camp. It seems like there are two major factions of the band’s fanbase: pre-“Heat Waves” and post-“Heat Waves.” The hit single originally appeared on 2020’s Dreamland but did not take hold in the U.S. until 2021, when it received more widespread attention and helped sky-rocket Glass Animals to even bigger fame. It has nearly 2 billion streams on Spotify alone. No matter when you got turned on to them, Glass Animals appeals to the masses and has a little something for everyone. They started the show with “Life Itself,” one of the classics from 2016’s How To Be A Human Being. The percussion, the instrumentation, the

lyrics—it’s “fantastic” to use a word from the song. “Youth” was accompanied by a backdrop of kids on screen seemingly enjoying their childhood. Songs from Dreamland were crowdpleasers, including “I Don’t Wanna Talk (I Just Wanna Dance),” “Space Ghost Coast to Coast” and “Your Love (Déjà Vu).” Lead vocalist Dave Bayley’s unassuming look may have some people second-guessing him when they first see him, but he is a true MC who will guide you through Glass Animals’ performance, engaging with the crowd, running and dancing around the stage, and ensuring the audience is having a good time. “Gooey” was the lone song from ZABA, the band’s 2014 debut album. After a few more songs the band ended their set but then came back to the stage for a two-song encore: “Tokyo Drifting” and, you guessed it, “Heat Waves.”

Saturday coverage started with far more clouds than were present the day before; however, the heat was not going anywhere. People were overheard saying, “At least there’s a breeze!” TK & the Holy Know-Nothings, an Americana band that hails from Portland, Ore., took the stage during the 1:30 time slot. The band is the brainchild of Taylor Kingman, or TK, who tells life how it is via his penchant for colorful songwriting. His vocals range from gritty to haunting as he relays stories and experiences that touch on love, loss, heartache, faith and alcohol. “Hard Times” is memorable for the stories TK conveys within and the chorus, “Oh hard times, hard times again.”

Next up was Mat Kearney, who also hails from Portland but relocated to Nashville some years ago. The singer-songwriter, whose voice is often compared to Chris Martin’s of Coldplay, has put out six albums over the years. His set was just right for the mid-afternoon at Hinterland and reached back more than a decade, sharing songs like “New York to California,” from 2009’s City Of Black & White, and “Ships in the Night” and “Hey Mama” from 2011’s Young Love

Durand Jones & the Indications injected a full dose of soul and R&B into the festival on Saturday. If you weren’t moving at this point in the day, you better have a good excuse. Some highlights included a pair of songs from the 2021 album, Private Space: “Sea of Love,” a song about love lost, and “Witchoo” an upbeat, party song with a catchy chorus: Come through, bring the crew/ I just wanna be wit’ you, ayyy.

Jenny Lewis was a vision in her service station coveralls. With a stillempty stage, Tommy Tutone’s “867-5309” began playing, to which I heard a photographer say to his cohorts, “Get ready, that’s her intro song.” As her band shuffled out, festival goers slowly migrated to and filled the GA area in front. Lewis opened her set with “Just One of the Guys,” one of her standout singles from 2014’s The Voyager, to loud cheers from the crowd. She stuck to the same album with the heartbreaking “She’s Not Me.” Other highlights were “Do Si Do,” “Red Bull and Hennessy” and a cover of Girls’ “Lust for Life.” Her vocals are smooth and the harmonies are effortless—and it was well worth the experience as temperature started move ever closer to 100.

Lake Street Dive took the stage as the sun was setting. The New York-based quintet’s performance was highly anticipated; when the first notes played, any fans who were not already jammed in front of the stage ran to be a part of the crowd. All eyes were on lead vocalist Rachael Price, donned in a red top with her hair blowing in the wind. She is not one to bask in the attention for too long, however, always acknowledging her bandmates throughout the show, such as when she turned the spotlight

on keyboardist Akie Bermiss, who wrote “Same Old News,” drummer Mike Calabrese, and his song “Making Do,” and standup bassist and bandmate Bridget Kearney (who was introduced as an Iowa native; the audience that was filled with a sea of Iowans went nuts) But Price’s sultry vocals are a trademark of the band and possibly unintentionally steal the show. Of note were “Know That I Know,” “Nobody’s Stopping You Now,” “You Go Down Smooth,” a cover of Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back” and of course, “Good Kisser.”

Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats closed down the main stage on Saturday night. The band emerged from darkness and exploded into “You Worry Me,” the first single from 2018’s highly anticipated second album, Tearing at the Seams. Rateliff explained that they almost didn’t make it to the show on time—they were delayed coming from Canada, where they had played a festival two days prior. Fans of all ages were captivated by Rateliff and his ensemble of musicians, while at least half the crowd was singing every lyric. Most of the songs performed were Tearing at the Seams, including “A Little Honey,” “Hey Mama” and “Baby I Lost My Way (But I’m Going Home)” and their latest album, The Future, including, “Face Down in the Moment,” “I’m on Your Side” and “Survivor,” and the bluegrass-y title track, among others. “Falling Faster Than You Can Run,” the title track from Rateliff ’s 2013 solo album, also made an appearance during the set, as did “And It’s Still Alright,” the touching track from his 2020 solo album of the same name. He explained that he liked to perform the latter because he didn’t have the chance to play it much for live audiences following its release in early 2020. They ended the set with “I Need Never Get Old,” a gem from their 2015 debut album, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, before returning to the stage for a three-song encore: “The Future,” “S.O.B.” and “Love Don’t.” and from Run,” didn’t the

Unfortunately our team had a conflict and could not stay through Sunday’s lineup. It killed us to miss the amazing lineup; luckily we’ve been able to catch Phoebe Bridgers, Kurt Vile & the Violators and Lucy Dacus when they’ve rolled through Missouri.

Every summer it seems the one-stage festival churns out a can’t miss vibe whether it be last minute additions like Turnstile or setting up magical moments with surprise duets like Billy Strings joining Sierra Farrell or Kurt Vile and Lucy Dacus accompanying Phoebe Bridgers to closeout the festival. 2023 has a lot to live up too.

Photos (this page): Ismael Quintanilla/Hinterland

(Above Left): Phoebe Bridgers closed out the festival and (below right) the former lead guitarist of the War on Drugs Kurt Vile indie rocked his way through the Sunday survivors. (Above) Katie Gavin of MUNA. The night before Sunday’s finale, MUNA sold out Delmar Hall in St. Louis and then, made a mad dash to Hinterland. The indie-pop trio of Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin, and Naomi McPherson can be seen at this year’s Austin City Limits Music Festival.

(Opposite page): Jenny Lewis (Below): Mat Kearney

Bedlam on Grand Boulevard

L.A. Witch returns to Kansas City

Story: Lauren Textor Photo: Kellie Green

Garage rock trio L.A. Witch doesn’t need a bubbling cauldron, vials of neon potions, or voodoo dolls to cast a spell on its audience. For over a decade, the group has been captivating crowds with smoky vocals and a simple instrumental setup: guitar, bass, drums.

Like The Hex Girls, The Weird Sisters, or any other goth-lean ing triumvirate of magnetic appeal, L.A. Witch is recognizable for its aesthetic. Every member of the band is able to strike a runway-worthy pose in an instant. They regularly update the group Tumblr account. Horror films like Rosemary’s Baby inspire their eerie, eclectic sound. For those in the know, the name L.A. Witch conjures up images of vengeance goddesses in black.

Ahead of their July 31 concert at recordBar, the band takes a stroll for pictures in front of some of downtown KC’s most striking murals. With out breaking a sweat, the girls laugh about their most hexable enemies (Vladimir Putin; whoever broke into their van), their recent (and spontaneous) trip to the rodeo, and their previous performance in Kansas City.

“The last time we were here, there was a tornado warning,” vocalist and guitarist Sade Sanchez says. “We had to drive out because we had a show the next day. We watched Twister.”

“While it was hailing!” drummer Ellie English laughs.

“It was like a 3D IMAX,” bassist Irita Pai adds. “The Univer sal Studios experience!”

After 10 years together, most of the band’s conversations are like this. They’re in sync to the point of telepathy, their recollections of tours and shows overlapping with phrases like “Remember when—”

In tandem, they share the story of how English experienced ghostly phenomena in New Orleans, her radio switching on without any prompting at all. Their voices converge while ex plaining their would-be witches’ familiars. Even the clicking of their heeled leather boots is synchronized.

“Mine would be a Xolo—”

“Oh, mine would be a beagle—”

“Uh, mine would be some kind of weird cat probably?”

This close-knit coven has only strengthened with the years gone by. According to Sanchez, it’s true what the proverbial “they” say: the more things change, the more they stay the same.

“It’s just on a larger scale,” she says. “It’s more people involved, whereas before it was more of us doing every thing ourselves—booking, making our own merch, driving ourselves.”

The expansion is deserved. It’s possible to feel like you’re being transported to a grungy, punk nightclub while listening to any one of L.A. Witch’s songs.

The band has only released two albums, but both have all of the intentions of a genuine spellbook. Their self-titled 2017 album and their 2020 Play With Fire clock in at about 30 minutes each. Short? Yes. Sweet? Not so much.

The bitter, violent lyrics of “Kill My Baby Tonight”; the accusatory drum beat on “Brian”; the raw anger in “Sexorexia”—L.A. Witch has the aggression of ‘90s punk with the global context of 2022.

The recordBar crowd digs it, and for good reason. Melodious pop can’t describe the angst of the past few years as concisely as Pai’s chords.

It’s difficult to not project all of your alter ego fantasies onto the trio, what with their dramatic eye makeup and their un shakable coolness. They manage the crowd effortlessly, never flustered by screams of “I love you!” or chants for more. They perform because they love it, but they’re under no obligations.

Despite this, they don’t act untouchable. After the show, Sanchez heads to the merch table to ring up purchases. She signs records with a trusty Sharpie, interacting with every fan in the queue. Her fearsome stage persona cracks when she’s complimented on her performance.

Far from the imagined crones of fairytales, these witches are the future of America’s much-needed resurrection of rock and roll.

The last time we were here, there was a tornado warning... We had to drive out because we had a show the next day. We watched Twister.

“ “

Story: Madisyn Siebert

Photos: Cory Weaver

Once I arrived at Off Broadway, I followed the Pizza Hut delivery driver to the side stage doors and was ushered upstairs to the green room— and I mean it when I say green, because it was quite literally a neon lime green room. There, all the members, except Brad Vaughn, who was unintentionally locked outside for the second time that day I was told, were waiting for me.

Jenn Malzone, the lead vocalist and songwriter for Middle Class Fashion, immediately moved from her chair and took a seat on the black floor, the band all reaching for pizza to fuel up for the concert later that evening.

MCF was formed back in early 2010 with Jenn and Brad. Lindsey McDaniel, Matt Basler and Dylan Clubb joined in on the fun when the band began expanding their sound. They can agree the three helped accomplish the goal, but they maybe can’t agree on when each member “officially” joined the band.

Change is inevitable when you’ve been a band since 2010, and when prompted about it Jenn replied, “I feel like we’ve changed our sound a lot, but the songs as far as the structure and content have been pretty consistent.” Jenn is the perfect person to answer this as the lead songwriter for the band. She brings melodies and lyrics to the table and relies on the rest of her bandmates to help bring the vision to life.

And the vision seems to be constantly changing according to Jenn, “We were a piano pop band and it was fun, but then I just felt the itch.” She continued, “I wanna feel like a cool band. I wanted to be like a synth band. So, we did that for a while, but then I started to miss the guitar sound and wanted to have a real guitar rock band that we’ve never done before. There have been times where I’ve been really into hip hop. It just kind of goes in these different directions.”

When asked about her lyrics and themes in their music, Jenn’s first reaction was, “Well, hold on, let me think of something cool to say,” which aroused a round of laughs from the band. She sat and thought for a second before answering. “You don’t see your own stuff ’cause you’re in it. And then when someone kind of on the outside looks at it, they can see it in a clearer way than you can,” she said. She may have her own themes in mind, or stories she is sharing, but she encourages people to enjoy them on their own, through their own interpretations.

During this time of sound exploration, MCF was able to make memories together, including playing South by Southwest. Their favorite part was actually the drive to the festival—yes, the drive. I was thrusted into the story of how they only had one showcase set up and not a lot of people came to it with it being more last-minute, but the drive was unanimously everyone’s favorite. There were mad libs, and a little stir-craziness, but what seemed to be the most important part was the bond the band formed together on the road.

But, when Covid-19 hit their world, similar to everyone else’s, it paused. “We’ve kind of been on our own little island, which in a

way has been fun,” Jenn explained. “You know, I feel like we’re in our own little world, like we have been for the past year or two.”

The band planned on releasing their latest album, Scary, in spring of 2020, but when the pandemic started, they didn’t know what to do and ended up dropping the album later that fall. It was the first album that they didn’t get to play live at their listening party due to being precautious. “I feel like we did it a disservice,” Lindsey said, with sadness lingering in her voice.

Jenn further explained their rationale on why they released the album, even if they couldn’t give Scary the proper announcement it deserved. “When you make an album and you just sit on it for so long, it just doesn’t even feel fresh or new to you anymore,” she said. “So, then you’re trying to get excited and release something.”

But, don’t feel too bad for MCF. They explained how they are back at Suburban Pro Studios working on an EP. Instead of dropping albums, the band is looking into dropping smaller releases like EPs and singles into the world for a more constant stream of their music.

The band itself is full of lightheartedness, and everyone’s conversation aroused a story from the group, whether that was the plan to watch “Mrs. Doubtfire” together soon or recalling jokes from earlier that morning. I have never felt so immersed in laughter either, with the band constantly cracking jokes, and Matt, the drummer, mostly contributing to the group’s wit and being the band’s in-house comedian.

This all being said, a phrase that Jenn coined early on in the interview stuck with me as I conversed with them. “We have a magical soulmate band bond.” I have never seen such fluid thoughts travel from one person to another. I felt like the room could read each other’s minds and I was merely a spectator watching this bond unfold in front of me.

This bond clearly translates to their music and how they can perform as a unit. Each show is a new adventure and, according to Jenn, they even “span a range of emotions, joy, terror and sometimes just awkwardness.” She is also not one to necessarily plan her sentence before she starts talking, but she finds her way in the journey, leading to a never fully regimented show and making each one unique.

This is a true St. Louis band, finding and evolving their sound as they go and playing gigs for the thrill of being able to be on stage with their bandmates, but more importantly their friends. Jenn’s writing and melody searching brings the band to new fronts and is why you need to go see Middle Class Fashion live. If you can’t see them in person then live stream them on your preferred music streaming platform.

bands through town

Dylan Clubb, Matt Basler, Jenn Malzone, Lindsey McDaniel and Brad Vaughn have a ‘Magical Soulmate Band Bond’

It’s a summer Tuesday in Kansas City. I’m standing in recordBar, born in a strip mall but now one of the city’s preeminent live music venues. In between sets, I’m at the bar sipping on an energy drink cocktail. I feel like I need a shot of caffeine after a long day, but little do I know my energy level is about to be lifted, whether I’m ready or not.

Eventually, AJ Haynes and her band Seratones hit the stage. They’d be forgiven if they started the set out slow or possessed less enthusiasm about playing a Midwest gig on an early weeknight. That would not be the case tonight, however, or any other night for that matter.

Story: Brian Amick

Photos: Cory Weaver

While many singers and bands have stage presence and know how to work up a crowd, there’s a genuineness to Haynes’s performance. One of my first remarks to her after the show was that she seemed to be having more fun on stage than I’ve seen out of just about anybody. That enthusiasm is infectious, as evidenced by a crowd of dancers that seemed to keep growing throughout the set.

Following their performance, I was able to speak with Haynes for 30 minutes before the band packed up and left for the next stop on their tour, in support of their new album Love & Algorhythms. In a short amount of time, she talks extensively about several topics and displayed a thirst for knowledge that you don’t see from many people.

“I need to know how something works, in terms of what shifts and shapes culture,” Haynes said. “I think as an artist, that’s my job to understand. If I’m using something, if I know the parts, then it helps to synthesize and create something new. For me, this is the whole reason I started a band.”

She continued, “To make something out of thin air, I need to understand the air. I need to understand how we’re breathing, what are the processes of being human.”

Haynes’ musical style is inspired by a wide range of artists, including Frankie Beverly & Maze. For this specific album, she counts American jazz musician Alice Coltrane, Italian composer Giorgio Moroder and the Queen of Disco Donna Summer among her influences. She says that she made playlists to go with each song on the album that acted as reference points.

“I would be close to burnout, but it would help to get home, take a shower, and put on Donna Summer’s ‘I Feel Love’ or ‘Journey in Satchidananda’ by Alice Coltrane,” Haynes has said about these influences and how they helped her deal with the struggles of composing the band’s latest album, especially in the age of Covid. “Alice Coltrane and Donna Summer are both divine in their own different ways.”

Love & Algorhythms is defined by the relationship between love and algorithms, especially when it comes to dating apps. Algorithms have a tremendous effect on how people match and meet. There can be plenty of pain and plenty of joy in the process, which is emblematic of the human experience.

Haynes quotes science fiction writer Octavia Butler about this struggle. “God is Trickster, Teacher, Chaos, Clay.” Life is chaos, and we have to make sense of that, especially in regards to love and the dating world. Keeping with that science fiction theme,

the album is described as an interstellar synthesis of astral soul, R&B and sci-fi funk (if that doesn’t tickle your musical fancy, I don’t know what will). Seratones’ sound is utterly incomparable to other artists’ sounds, and that is, in large part, due to the wealth of resources inside and outside of the music world that Haynes utilizes. The album takes many unexpected twists and turns as it picks from punk, rock, soul, R&B, electronic and other genres.

As a Black and Filipino artist, Haynes has a unique perspective on the world that she looks to share with others. She is a member of the Grammy Recording Academy’s Black Artist Collective, a special advisory group that aims to amplify Black voices. Being on the board of the Memphis chapter, which covers a very diverse region, she looks to reflect that in her chapter as well as the Recording Academy as a whole. All institutions throughout the country grapple with racism, and people like Haynes are committed to helping this one specific (massive) institution make positive changes toward inclusivity.

Bringing it back to the music, Seratones is for all. You see this as Haynes jumps off the stage, surrounded by passionate fans, feeding off their energy and vice versa. In this moment, nothing else matters.

Just imagine spending an hour each night with that environment. It’s easy to see why live music is such a powerful motivator.

For Seratones, the love of music has powered its travels across the country and beyond. The band has played in intimate venues with dozens of people discovering their music for the first time, and they’ve also played at massive festivals in front of thousands. Whether at South by Southwest, Reading Music Festival or in a strip mall in the Midwest, the energy and enthusiasm are always present.

It’s the brain chemical serotonin that comes from listening to music that inspired the band’s name. It was created from the phrase “put it on wax,” which in Spanish is the word “cera.” In the music industry, the phrase means to record on vinyl. The band switched the name from Ceratones to Seratones as a play on serotonin.

But just because you’re having a good time doesn’t mean you can’t think critically about the world around you and share an important message. Haynes keeps that in mind in her writing.

“The really valuable part of the creative process is being present in challenging times, being able to tap into something that people need to hear versus something that is just for the sake of it,” she has said.

“There’s this American ideal of the pursuit of happiness, but I don’t want to chase happiness. I want bliss and wholeness. This world we’ve created, that we were able to discover through working through ourselves—I want to sit in this world longer.”

“I need to know how something works, in terms of what shifts and shapes culture. I think as an artist, that’s my job to understand. If I’m using something, if I know the parts, then it helps to synthesize and create something new. For me, this is the whole reason I started a band.”

Listening Room: Album Reviews

Photo Courtesy of: Atiba Jefferson

Onthe heels of Interpol’s Turn on the Bright Lights 20th anniversary comes the band’s seventh studio album, On the Other Side of Make-Believe. Ebbing the flow of any fanfare that will arise from celebrating the release of one of the best Indie/Alt Rock albums of the 2000s, Make-Believe has ushered in a new era of Interpol music.

The aim now is perfection always. The aim now is fuckin’ leave it behind. “

The album has a jarring arid feel to it—encapsulating the thousands of miles separating the trio during the early stages of writing Make-Believe before reuniting in the Catskills (coincidentally, that’s where Paul Bank’s side project—the indie supergroup Muzz, spent a lot time piecing together their self-titled pandemic release) and ultimately, spending two months together completing Make-Believe in London with producer, Flood (Mark Ellis) and long-time collaborator, Alan Moulder, who previously mixed 2010’s Interpol and 2014’s El Pintor

Writing an album during a pandemic and subsequent lockdown, Banks expounds on the drive behind Make-Believe from a press release, “The nobility of the human spirit is to rebound,” he says. “Yeah, I could focus on how fucked everything is, but I feel now is the time when being hopeful is necessary, and a still-believable emotion within what makes Interpol Interpol.”

In July, Interpol teased MakeBelieve and released “Toni” as the first single off the new album. They quickly followed it with a second single, “Something Changed” and accompanying those two consecutive singles were two videos with a through narrative… what that narrative is, has yet to be explained—except Banks likes Oranges. I only bring this to light because the two videos directed by Van Alpert—no matter the high-quality—were a setback for the music. I spent so much time processing what I was actually watching that the music was secondary, muddled and forgettable. This was a major headscratcher for me, since previous videos for, “Barricade”, “My Desire”, “If You Really Love Nothing”, and “The Rover” (where the band staged a press conference just to shoot a scene for the video in Mexico City) were dictated by the music, not distracting B-movie dance fighting.

Distracting mini-art films aside, Make-Believe is a veering off the path of Interpol into something else and with that veering off makes this album a deep dive—spend some time with it—unlike past Interpol albums when you’re eager to blast

it, one hand on the volume and the other prepared to pull the fire alarm. Make-Believe is the most vulnerable we’ve ever heard Paul vocally and the band musically. Don’t fret, there are still flickers of melancholy that make your heart strings cringe ever so slightly, but the anthemic bangers are wiped from this release.

“I like the inspiration like it’s going in the right direction / And that’s to me” is sung throughout “Toni”, a bit of a secondary haunting hook that projects a solemn, yet anxious loneliness—a prepositioned theme. Over Kessler’s atmospheric piano with random triplet trinkets, followed by tone-establishing bass enters a pensive Banks, “Flame down Pacific highway / Still in shape, my methods refined / Long gone superstition’s folly” on the lead track.

What could have been the second track on the album, “Something Changed” sits in the fifth slot of the album—picking up from where “Toni” left off. Another Kessler on keys intro with a wistful echo of “I waded through shame for this” which has you running for hills of what the meaning is—typical Banks open-ended ambiguity of ‘here it is, take it how you will’—a method of self-application. The La Voix Humane approach of someone talking to another on the phone where more breathing is done than talking by the receiver of the message, “I don’t like these open endings / Are you there? / Well I forgive you but there’s no pretendings / Are you there?”

On the superlative “Fables,” Banks’ pitch continues to live in a higher octave with smatterings of falsetto,

“I do it all for the glow

I stand unbearably close How could you possibly know?

I ain’t taking the call I have forsaken you all I was mistakenly chose Now I’m just taking my own You can’t make me

There’s light, lyrically on these opening tracks, but there are battles Banks is still fighting and as a creative, that’s understandable. There’s a bit of this openness

sporadically sprinkled throughout Marauder and dealt heavily on his solo releases, Julien Plenti Is… Skyscaper and Banks

“Step around, don’t stand there waving / On abandoned string” commands Banks over a gritty, bass and prototypical Kessler grinding riffs on “Into the Night.” “We’re in hеre now / No sense parading / As thе anvil swings / We used to say the future was paved with penalties.”

“I wanna be there when you touch fire / I’ll be the hand that you can clutch” is the closest that Banks gets to being aggressive on “Mr. Credit”, matching Kessler’s powerplay chromatic melody. What serves as a nice segue into “Renegade Hearts,” Kessler’s random anthemic howling is a welcome additive to offset Banks’ drop in vocal octave.

“Passengers”, “Greenwich” and the central American longing themed “Gran Hotel” fall into the Interpol realm of gloom, “For something they stole, times I was laughed at / I’d fall into a hole, fade into a flashback” but with that is “It’s alright to be, not to behave”… an interpersonal reconciliation.

“Big Shot City” and “Go Easy (Palermo)” round out what is Interpol’s most delicate album over their 25 years. “Stop the operation / Help me off the table, we need to leave” and “Go easy / Don’t matter what you bring”… Go easy with this one, it’s deserving.

Photo: Cory Weaver

What is arguably one of the best albums over the past 20 years,

Turn on the Bright Lights set the alternative and indie rock world spinning. NME, Rolling Stone, Spin, etc., followed the 2000s post-punk foursome around for months reporting on who Interpol was. You can probably do some rabbit-hole digging and find an article on one of the members’ favorite hair gel.

Nevertheless, the amount of hype and promise that TOTBL received is legend, and as NME said shortly after its arrival, “Through all those years of bad irony and blank angst, The Dark’s vital signs have kept strong. With Turn on the Bright Lights, Interpol interpret them perfectly for these new and exciting times.” “Obstacle 1,” “Untitled” and “PDA” were set loose on post-9/11 America and became what some called the soundtrack of NYC.

With Antics, critics were salivating for a sophomore slump. What’s more fun for a critic to pick apart a band’s second LP release? Well, not so fast. Endless touring from TOTBL left little time for the band to get inside their heads, and before you knew it, “Slow Hands” was working its way through your psyche. “Evil,” “C’mere,” “Public Pervert,” “NARC,” “Length of Love” and “Not Even Jail” flow relentlessly through the 10-track album and is the follow-up album that most bands dream of.

Maintaining and growing their fan base through Antics, it’s verifiably not a “sophomore slump.”

Three years after Antics, Interpol jumped from Matador Records to Capitol Records and put out a cleaner-toned album—what some say was a play at mainstream stardom. Our Love to Admire can be taken in many ways critically, but musically—the album falls a track short of a masterpiece. Essentially, they kept what Interpol is as a band in their scope, while laying down tracks that are incomparable to previous Interpol tunes, such as: “Wrecking Ball,” “The Light House” and “Mammoth.” Quite frankly, this made a lot of critics unsure of what to do, and they grasped at lyrics to support their 300-word hot takes—dart board material, if you will. Still, this newer, clean version of Indie Rock in the noonday sun provided “greatest hits”-worthy songs such as “The Heinrich Maneuver,” “No I In Threesome” and “Rest My Chemistry.”

Interpol jumped back to Matador after the short stint with Capitol and released their fourth album, Interpol. Not holding up to sales standards at Capitol, Matador welcomed back Interpol in 2010.

A self-titled release was perhaps a call to arms for the foursome— getting back to what Interpol was before making the jump to a major label. The band recaptured their grit and mood—especially evident in Paul Banks’ lyrics and energy and

in the bass-forward prowess by Carlos Dengler. Tapping into the energy of what made TOTBL so gritty, Interpol lets that grit seep through ever so slightly with “Memory Serves,” “Summer Well,” “Lights,” “Try It On,” “The Undoing,” and the psychological step-back, “All of the Ways.”

Does he make you smile?

Does he fully embrace the way

Does he leave you to the fight

That you like, who is this guy?

This twee neophyte

Does he know that I’ll wait for all time

Does he make you right

Does he say that he’d like to know you

Does he say that he wants to know

All of the ways

You will make it up

Make it up for me

After a four-year album hiatus, Banks’ second solo release and Dengler’s departure, 2014 brought us El Pintor, Interpol’s fifth album.

An anagram of the band’s name that also means “The Painter” in Spanish, Interpol’s broad-brush strokes struck another blow to the band’s discography canvas. Taking over bass duties and not missing a beat is Banks on the album (leaving the duties to Brad Truax on the road)—although one does enjoy Carlos D’s ornamental instrumentation. It is very clear on El Pintor that the now trio is refocused and set in stone. Picked apart, disassembled and reassembled, the tone is set with a banger, “All the Rage Back Home.” The first single off the album was a megaphone-proportion of alerts, announcing that Interpol was back. “My Desire” is a hit that went unnoticed outside of the Interpol realm, and the track’s video even starred Frank Grillo (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Zero Dark Thirty, The Purge) flipping through polaroids in a Lower East Side bar. “Same Town, New Story,” “My Blue Supreme” and “Everything Is Wrong” highlight the less jagged edge of Interpol—forming a simply enjoyable sound, rather than seeking a stop-you-in-your-tracks moment.

After El Pintor, getting snowed in on a tour bus on the NY Thruway en route to Buffalo, and a highly touted TOTBL 15th Anniversary tour, Interpol released Marauder with a black and white livestream press conference from Mexico City. The lead single off Marauder, “The Rover” highlights Daniel Kessler’s guitar-playing and is probably the most “rock” song on the album— it’s certainly the most danceable tune on the LP. The real heavyhitting song, personally, is “If You Really Love Nothing.” The prose in this song is for both the antagonist and protagonist, and the video stars Kristen Stewart and Finn Wittrock. Love or hate her, Stewart is a perfect fit for this video and a great portrayer of the prose within the song. The tempo changes within “If You Really Love Nothing” and the arid falsetto of Banks, combined with Kessler’s steady ostinato, asks, If you don’t love this song, do you really love nothing? If you wanted old Interpol grit, you can find it in “Complications” and “Stay In Touch,” and ballads “Flight of Fancy,” “Mountain Child,” “NYSMAW,” and “It Probably Matters” prove that Interpol’s icy take on love songs reign supreme.

2018, Marauder

Give me the oversight inside the other

Give me the oversight inside the fantasy

And with these inclinations

They will design a little box for you to play in

Aimless sharks don’t react to soft attentions

They know how to wait

2002, Turn on the Bright Lights

2004, Antics

2007, Our Love to Admire Interpol

2014, El Pintor

Maggie Rogers, Surrender

It’s no secret that the aughts are back: the teens are reviving low-rise jeans, Crocs are no longer worn ironically, and the nostalgia around an age before the pervasiveness of social media has never been stronger. So how do you make music that encapsulates that feeling without being completely derivative?

Enter Maggie Rogers’ newest album, Surrender.

When Rogers released her first new single, “That’s Where I Am”— her first since her 2019 debut Heard It in a Past Life—the immediate imagery it conjured for listeners across the internet was the credits scene of an early 2000’s rom com, perhaps starring fierce teen icons like Julia Stiles or Brittany Murphy. Much to Rogers’ delight, that’s exactly what she was going for and it set both the tone and expectation of what was to come. The resulting full-length release expands on this specific, yet incredible, tangible essence: that we’re all capable of being the main characters of our own stories. In the midst of creating Surrender, Rogers attended Harvard Divinity School, where she earned a master’s degree in the study of religion and public life. Specifically, she focused on the spirituality of public gatherings and ethics in pop culture, and her findings weave themselves into the fabric of the album. Rogers comes out of the gate strong with the opening trio “Overdrive,” the aforementioned single, “That’s Where I Am,” and her following single, “Want, Want.” All featuring varying degrees of raunchy, reverb-y synths and snarling guitars, Surrender announces itself as a pandemic record not in its insularity but in its desire for physical connection in the outside world.

Even in the quieter moments on the record, Rogers is relentless from start to end, but in a way that’s gratifying and not grating. Part of the magic touch of this album is due to coproducer Kid Harpoon, who, in my opinion, is one of the most underrated pop producers in music right now. Middle track “Horses,” an acoustic, mid-tempo ballad, is particularly special in its honesty and raw pleading: “I see horses running wild I wish I could feel like

that for just a minute. Would you come with me, or would you resist? Oh, could you just give in?” Rogers is doing less hiding behind veiled metaphors that characterized Heard It in a Past Life. Life is too short for pretense, so why not just get straight to the point? Sonically, Surrender feels more grounded, trading the ethereal quality of Rogers’ previous work for a grittiness and distortion you can hold onto. Songs like “Be Cool” and “Honey” tap into that early aughts joy, made famous by the likes of Leslie Mills, Lucy Woodward and Liz Phair (to name a few), but in a way that brings something different to the table. Perhaps the secret sauce lies more in instrumental restraint, coupled with forthright lyrics. Or in Rogers’ words, “joy with teeth.” “Shatter” is an ’80s-inspired, synth-heavy song perfect for those sticky dog days of summer; Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine also lends background vocals (and some sick tambourine skills).

If there’s anything I notice most in this body of work, it’s the unabashed confidence in Rogers’ vocal performances. Thinking back to the viral video of her presenting Pharrell Williams her first single, “Alaska,” there’s a stark difference between the seemingly timid artist who hid behind reverb and breathy falsetto and the post-pandemic Rogers, who’s belting from the rooftops without fear. Even on ballads like “Begging for Rain” and “I’ve Got a Friend,” she doesn’t hold back, in part helping her lyrics hit the listener even harder. Watching her Coachella set—her first live performance since 2019 and post-grad school—you can see a shift in her stage presence that brings her audience even closer together.

The final track, “Different Kind of World,” is less a song and more a prayer for hope and a place where we can reconnect with one another through music. Of course, in classic Maggie Rogers fashion, the final 45 seconds of the song erupt into a guitar-led, cathartic cacophony that you long to hear live. Frankly, it’s a reality she’s manifesting as much as we are. On first listen, I felt as though I had reached the conclusion of my own personal movie—fulfilled, emotionally exhausted, released. At the end of the day, Rogers understands better than most that music can provide the spiritual, full-body experience that no other art form can, and Surrender is her gospel.

- Melanie Broussalian

King Princess, Hold On Baby

King Princess makes her grand return with her long-awaited sophomore effort, Hold On Baby. Under her moniker, songwriter and producer Mikaela Straus has created some of her most earnest work yet. Whereas her debut album, Cheap Queen, was the soundtrack to debaucherously late nights at the height of her youth, Hold On Baby feels more like the morning after: a more delicate, and even slightly wounded, selfreflection on the damage you caused in the haze of the night prior. In a conversation with interview wizard Zane Lowe, Straus describes her personal approach to the record not as a heartbreak with another person but with herself, and the struggle of “not liking myself.” This is easily the most prevalent theme throughout the album, starting most obviously with the opening track “I Hate Myself, I Wanna Party,” an intimate portrait of someone stuck in the mundanities of life that ultimately reaches a screaming climax with the repeated “I don’t wanna live like that.”

Photo Courtesy of: Kelly Jeffrey

Sonically, Hold On Baby finds its roots firmly planted in indie rock, with Straus citing references to Fiona Apple, Kate Bush, Foo Fighters and No Doubt in her “The Hold On Baby Experience” playlist. The record finds Straus in her most consistent sonic landscape yet, especially compared to Cheap Queen, which oscillated between ’70s-inspired instrumentation and electro beat drops of the 2010s. This is a feat more so when considering the long list of music industry titans who have contributed to the album. Aaron Dessner, Ethan Gruska, Dave Hamelin and Mark Ronson, among others, each contribute their own signature without diluting or changing Straus’ ultimate vision. In fact, Straus approached different producers strategically with songs she knew would fit within their wheelhouses. The most heart-wrenching tracks were saved for Dessner and his patented light touch, while the angstier songs were reserved for Hamelin.

“For My Friends,” is a mid-album standout and the most “traditionally pop” song on the record. Even still, Straus’ attention to detail prevails with lush synths, tight drums and earnest lyrics to tie the song together. Not every song is a winner, though. Tracks like “Crowbar” and “Winter is Hopeful” tend to plod along and slow the momentum of the record down, not offering lyrically a huge difference in story or experience. “Little Bother” featuring Fousheé is a perfectly fine pop song but doesn’t offer much more than anything already in the indie-pop sphere.

The back half of the album really soars, starting with the synth-heavy, tongue-incheek “Too Bad.” “Change the Locks” is easily a cousin of Lorde’s sophomore album, Melodrama, but taken to new heights with varying vocal deliveries, ranging from the whisper to the screaming belt that convey the heartbreak of realizing a relationship no longer serves either party. Generally speaking, Straus is more confident in her vocal delivery on Hold On Baby, allowing her to access emotional depths she didn’t as easily tap into on Cheap Queen.

The record finishes on “Let Us Die,” a grungy, distorted track—powered by the late, great Taylor Hawkins on drums—that references a Thelma-and-Louise-style demise of a relationship on a doomsday clock. While very much worth the wait, there are areas of Hold On Baby that could go further; then I remind myself Straus is merely 23 years old with a career (or two) in front of her. In any case, it’s good to finally have King Princess back in our ears.

- Melanie Broussalian

Sylvan Esso, No Rules Sandy

Think you’ve heard every iteration of the “pandemic album”? Think again. Electropop duo Sylvan Esso is back with No Rules Sandy, the follow-up to their 2020 album, Free Love. While this experimental record is 16 tracks, fear not: six of those songs are bite-size interludes under 30 seconds, providing momentary palette cleanses and glimpses into the recording process. The opening notes of the first track, “Moving,” are a little jarring to the unprepared listener with an immediate flurry of distorted synths and keyboards. Amelia Meath’s floating vocals effortlessly provide a little more grounding on “Look At Me,” but only for a moment. Sylvan Esso has spent their career evolving their sound and taking new risks album to album, and No Rules Sandy is, well, no exception. “Echo Party,” the second-longest track on the record, is the closest to what listeners imagine when they think of Sylvan Esso. Even then, both the vocals and instrumentals are delivered in a clipped, robotic tone and looping lines that provide a fresh spin on a formula they’ve perfected over the years.

Recorded over the course of merely three weeks, the thesis behind No Rules Sandy lies in the title itself. Meath and bandmate Nick Sanborn explained to NPR, “We feel like we learned the rules and figured out how to write pop songs in the way that we write them. So we threw all those things away and began again.”

Whereas Free Love felt polished, strategic and deliberate, No Rules Sandy is improvisational in nature, fueled by a try-anything-and-seewhat-happens approach. Case in point is “Didn’t Care,” a bubblegum club song turned on its head that somehow marries humorous lyrics with a delightfully melodic bass line and joyful harmonies. On the other hand, “Your Reality” employs the use of lush, but sparsely used, strings against a low-fi beat that supports Meath’s patented delicate vocal delivery.

“Sunburn” and “Alarm” lend themselves most easily to the dancefloor, but not without a

subtly unsettling undercurrent that’s hard to name. The quietest and most profound moment on the record comes at the very end with the final track, “Coming Back to You,” a barebones song reminiscent just as much of Big Thief as of Sylvan Esso. Its genius lies in its simplicity, though, giving the listener the chance to digest the duality of Meath’s words: “I’m on a ribbon/Of concrete…I’m eighty-five/I’m sixteen/I am a mother/A baby.” Is No Rules Sandy a particularly easy or relaxing listen? Or is it the band’s best work? Maybe not. But in an age when fewer musicians are taking risks in favor of viral TikTok fame, it’s certainly refreshing to see a band pursue the music they want to make. And have the time of their lives while doing it.

- Melanie Broussalian

Grab your sunglasses, pack your sunscreen, and make sure you’ve still got your summer weekends all freed up, because Two Door Cinema Club has done it again!

I have been a fan of Two Door Cinema Club since their debut album, Tourist History, came out in 2012. What began as an obsession with all things indie rock quickly developed into an all-out infatuation with any song that Two Door Cinema Club released. Their inextinguishable energy mixed with a clear love for music and raw talent was like a shot of espresso straight to my bloodstream. When I say this is a no-skip band, I mean it… and they still have yet to change my mind!

Two Door Cinema Club’s fifth studio album, Keep On Smiling, continues their unbreakable line of bangers—with a new twist. From the opening notes of “Messenger AD (intro),” I knew I was in for a real treat. Arising from a soft silence was not their typical quick guitar riff or a rousing drumbeat. I stood in the center of my living room in absolute awe as I soaked in the new sound, trying to figure out what the band had planned for me next. And then it hit me, it was SYNTH!

Two Door Cinema Club, Keep On Smiling

I listened to track after track, the band’s classic elements of indie, rock and pop all layered perfectly over a brand new synth foundation. Their classic shot of espresso had been doubled, and my dial was turned up to 11.

This album is tailor designed for the summer. It’s a windows down, volume up, “no shame in taking the long way home” concoction that only gets better with each new song. The energy created at the beginning of the album carries over perfectly, infecting you with…what’s the phrase the

Mobley: Cry Havoc September 23, 2022

Tegan & Sara: Crybaby October 21st, 2022

kids use these days?…pure vibes!

“Blue Light,” “Lucky,” “Wonderful Life” and “Feeling Strange” are just a handful of tracks that had me uncontrollably grooving in the driver’s seat of my car. If it weren’t for the perfectly timed slower tunes like “Millionaire,” “High” and “Disappear,” I swear I probably would’ve combusted from the energy that was shooting through me.

Two Door Cinema Club has created a no-skip summer album that rivals the likes of Harry Styles’ “Harry’s House” and Calvin Harris’ “Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2.” I mean it when I say you do not want to miss this one. But don’t just take it from me, give the album a listen when it drops on Sept. 2.

Meanwhile, I’ll just Keep on Smiling.

Alex Bakken

Plains: I Walked With You a Ways October 14th, 2022

Alvvays:: Blue Rev October 7th, 2022

Arctic Monkeys: The Car October 21st, 2022

Larkin Poe: Blood Harmony November 11, 2022

( is page) Machine Gun Kelly had the crowd at Enterprise Center flying high and a few tricks up his sleeve—bringing out Blink 182’s drummer, Travis Barker for several songs at the end of his set.

(Right) Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys rocked Hollywood Amphitheater with hits from all of the duos discography.

(L-R) MGK Photo: Sean Rider, Dan Auerbach, Cory Weaver

Boulevard Brewing puts on the funkiest two-day party in Missouri. The only difference between past years and 2022’s Boulevardia Festival was location—this year the festival took over Crown Center after three years in the West Bottoms. Not pictured, but headlining Boulevardia, was Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats and Dashboard Confessional. Highlights of the festival included Jenny Lewis, Radkey, Dayglow, Frogpond and Making Movies. (Pictured below Top-Bottom, L-R) KC’s Hembree brought the big crowds out earlier as hundreds gathered to hear the local boys play new tracks from their newst album, It’s A Dream.

Saturday featured a full line-up on multiple stages starting at 11:45. Local Americana sweetheart Lily B. Moonflower has quickly gathered traction around the region and drew a nice crowd at the shady Park Stage. The Visit Missouri Stage was hyped as The Far Side, a.k.a. former Pharcyde members, celebrate 30 years of their debut album, Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde. Later, Valerie June navigated a late start due to sound issues and didn’t miss a beat.

Photos: Cory Weaver

(Above and Below) The Avett Brothers wow a sold-out St. Louis Music Park. Brandi Carlile rocked a soldout Starlight in Kansas City. (Opposite page, top to bottom, L-R) Partrick Carney of The Black Keys, Natalie Hemby opened for Maren Morris at St. Louis Music Park. LA-based duo El Ten Eleven going 20 years strong at the Old Rock House, Ben Bridwell of Band of Horses gave a headlining set opening for The Black Keys, while Katie Pruitt set the tone opening for Brandi Carlile in KC.

Photos: Cory Weaver

PREVIEW

Story: Madisyn Siebert

Photo Illustration: Cory Weaver

Move over Nashville, Los Angeles and New York. The city of Austin is about to reaffirm why it deserves to hold the title of live music capital of the world: Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival.

Every year, ACL hosts a variety of headliners from a vast array of music genres, including grunge, rock, bluegrass, country, indie, pop, electronic and more. And each year, ACL continues to grow by expanding its featured genres. It’s usually evident in the smaller acts, but this year festival attendees will be able to go from Billy Strings to Lil Nas X to Red Hot Chili Peppers—and that’s just scratching the surface of what to expect at Zilker Park.

If this year’s headliners aren’t your thing, you’ll still have a chance to check artists off your bucket list: from Disney channel nostalgia via Aly and AJ to Korean-influenced pop by Japanese Breakfast; from trending artists like Wet Leg to artists working on making their comeback like Carly Rae Jepsen. No matter what you’re in the mood for, ACL has it.

Each October the festival introduces me to new artists I’ve never heard of.

It’s perfectly curated to help festival goers discover music from everywhere: whether it’s a band from Austin or across the world. ACL truly helps foster a community where music can be continually supported and loved.

No matter which weekend you pick, or if you’re lucky enough to attend both, the lineup features plenty of artists and genres to keep you walking from stage to stage. And in the process, there is plenty of Austin cuisine to keep you energized to rock all day and night. Music and food go hand in hand, so chowing down on one-of-a-kind meals surrounded by music lovers and some of the best musicians around, it’s hard to go wrong.

If you’re interested in checking out ACL this year, don’t waste any time: singleday tickets are still available. You have to be quick next year if you want the three-day passes.

Starting at $145, you won’t be disappointed with the magic that ACL brings to Austin, and if you’re from out of town, make sure to expand your trip a couple days to check out all the beauty the city of Austin has to offer.