The chilled 80s synth rock of Lower Dens and front person Jana Hunter creates a unique sort of rock enigma on stage, as evidenced by the gentle “Will you please have my babies” cried out by an audience member during their show at the Barracuda this past Friday. 

The opening bands perfectly fit the dynamics at play within Lower Den’s aesthetic. Local jangle pop band, Slideshow, maintained a good energy and experimental sitar player and vocalist Ami Dang was transcendent. Both acts worked well with the crowd’s growing anticipation and made the venue their own. 

 When Lower Dens took the stage, they did not disappoint. As great as all of the band’s records are, the songs take on an entirely different form when played live. They become more vibrant, and the energy is amped up about a thousand times. The synth packs a deeper punch underneath the drums and bass when played live. Hunter also has a strong stage presence; he held all the attention in the room without demanding it or taking up too much space. New and old songs were played with the same amount of passion. “Drive” and “Ondine” were both played beautifully and received well. 

The romantic dystopia that Lower Dens creates in their music is wonderfully replicated on stage, as well. Most of Hunter’s music deals with isolation in confrontation with desire and identity, and in doing so he creates a space for his audience to seek comfort they wouldn’t be able to find elsewhere. It was easy to find that comfort on stage, with warmth emanating from each member as they performed. The live performance cuts right through the bones of the loneliness the music speaks of. If this wasn’t obvious alone from their performance, the looks of comfort and quiet rapture on the faces of more committed audience members certainly provides enough evidence for it. 

The quieter moments had a very 'last call at the bar' vibe. The band held intimate moments within each beat that gave people space to interpret the song however they wanted. “Suckers Shangi-la” was a perfect moment of catharsis. It was the soft, lonely fantasy world everyone needs to escape to once in awhile.

- Avril Carillo

 A quiet Wednesday night became bustling with hundreds of people at Stubbs. People were willing to bear the cold on this once-in- a-lifetime chance to see a show that could never be forgotten. With about a 20 year build up and opening for many bands such as Metallica, Silversun Pickups left the audience in a buzz with their latest leg of their tour thru Austin. Anticipation was filling the air and everyone knew that what was about to be experienced would be worth the bitter chill of the windy February night. 

As the crowd began to fill Mohawk indoors for Texas psych-rock staple Holy Wave, Mosaic Sound Collective founder Dan Redman took the stage. He spoke on the mission of the organization, the growth they’ve seen, and plans for the future. In almost opposite energy, attention was directed to a live mural painting by Kengo Hioki, aka “Yellow” from comic punk act Peelander-Z. Hioki, who performed music later in the night, screamed “I don’t know how to paint!” and began to attack a huge yellow tarp with giant pink brush strokes and blue splatter. The mural quickly became fully realized, colors dripping down and seeping into one another, and as “Yellow” yelled his adieu and focus was shifted back to the stage.

Holy Wave took their places behind their instruments and began their first tune. The 5-piece seemed to breathe the same breath, interlocked drums and bass grounded sprawling synths and woven guitars creating a thick aura of tactile motion. Many of the song’s arrangements seamlessly grew from their initial grooves into denser, more intricate resolutions. Each of the band’s singing voices were so distinct, fresh vocals and lush harmonies ebbed and flowed from track to track. A multitude of sounds criss-crossed through the audience’s ears as effects pedals and samplers were utilized to distance the group from more tiresome rock groups. Evoking Pink Floyd and Spaceman 3, these compositional choices make the band truly psychedelic. 

Towards the end of the set, center stage guitarist/keyboardist/singer Ryan Fuson told the crowd the set had been entirely new songs. With their last album Adult Fear being released early 2018, a new record seems just on the horizon.