This week brings the perfect harmony between local and traveling bands. Get ready for cold weather and gloomy jams. As the season of giving approaches, give your money and attention to opening bands. They deserve all of your love too (and the following ones are actually really phenomenal).
MACHELL ANDRÉ, Living Hour, and Dangers @ Paperhaus
Machell André makes collages, founded Qodesh record label, and creates music. Machell’s collages are beautiful and his beats are unbelievable. “8 A.” sounds much like what I would imagine the background sounds of an alien abduction sounding like. There are eerie beeps and an electronic vortex of volatile sounds. Then silence. Then bright stringy tones and sustained vocal echoes. I am caught up in the chaos, and I love it. Head to Paperhaus early to catch Machell André do some cool things.
SNOWHAUS, Boon, Blkflk, and Tosser (first show) @ 453
To put it plainly, Snowhaus is dancey as shit. I don’t know how they’ve done it, but they have managed to create an entire discography of only really catchy songs. As South Hadley, Massachusetts natives, Snowhaus is the perfect example of what happens when you give a bunch of dudes incredibly long winters every year. They make a bunch of music. A good majority of it (and the band name) relating to snow or winter in some way. As the colder months draw closer, let’s hand things off to the people who know winter best.
ANOTHER HEAVEN, Derider, Double Grave, and Tölva @ Slash Run
“I’m finally over shoegaze,” I tell myself with zero sense of sincerity. Another Heaven is the reason I can’t (and quite frankly don’t want to) escape my high school ways. Formerly known as Hollow Boys, the Minneapolis-based foursome got back together in 2016. I believe that fate brought them back together to be the gloom-pop heroes of all of our dreams. “Tourniquet” is probably one of the most cathartic songs out there. Check out Another Heaven at Slash Run this Friday.
FUTURE TWIN, Bled, Aerial View, and Woosung Alice @ Bathtub Republic
Future Twin is a self-proclaimed “avant-pop” group from San Francisco. I kind of feel like this is something that would play in the background of a beach-themed version of Twin Peaks. I could see Audrey Horne dancing to Future Twin in some Pacific Northwest version of the Double R Diner. Come out and support a traveling band on Saturday night at Bathtub Republic.
PSYCHIC SUBCREATURES and No Age @ Comet
Halloween isn’t over as long as Psychic Subcreatures is in D.C. This eerie combo of grunge surf and gloomy punk is the kind of unimaginable sludge I imagine lies within my soul. Usually I am wowed when a band releases a two or three-song demo. Psychic Subcreatures released an eight-song demo in 2016, and the kicker is that every single song is a banger. I was expecting there to be at least one bad song. Nope. Not here. Doesn’t exist. See for yourself at Comet this Sunday.
