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Archive for the ‘Inner Wave’ Category

[DID NOT ATTEND: December 14, 2022] Foals / Inner Wave / Glove

Back in 2008, Foals were a weird indie rock band.  Cryptic, with odd instrumental passages.  By their third album, Holy Fire, they had ditched all of that for huge bombast.  But it was still great, “Inhaler” was my favorite song of the year, getting bigger and bigger until it somehow exploded.

I kind of forgot about them, and then heard that they were releasing a two part epic: Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost.

In 2022, they released their most recent album, Life is Yours, recording now as a trio.  I actually hadn’t heard anything from the album.

I had tickets to see the Lemonheads that night.  And I really wanted to see them, so Foals would have to wait until next time.

Although now that I check the setlist, I think that Foals show might have been the better bet.  Maybe.

Inner Wave was going to open for Chicano Batman when I saw them in 2020, but when the show was rescheduled, there was a new opening band.

Inner Wave is a five-piece ensemble, and three of the bandmates – lead vocalist and guitarist Pablo Sotelo, bassist and vocalist Jean Pierre Narvaez, and guitarist and keyboard player Elijah Trujillo – go all the way back to middle school. Some back-in-the-day homies left the band in 2016, and keyboardist Chris Runners and drummer Luis Portillo joined the group. [They are] an indie rock quintet who seamlessly float between psychedelic and synthwave sounds.

I can see them opening for Chicano Batman with their retro sounds and soft vocals.  I don’t exactly see it working with Foals.

Glove opened for A Place to Bury Strangers, a show I did not go to.  Glove is a retro synth band, in the vein of Depeche Mode or New Order.  They’re from Tampa but look like they are straight out of the 80’s UK music scene.

I don’t quite see them opening for Foals either, unless the new Foals music is a lot more synthy.

 

 

 

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[ATTENDED: December 15, 2021] Los Retros / Le Butcherettes / Inner Wave / Crumb [rescheduled from May 3, 2020 and June 16, 2021]

This band had several different opening acts planned over the many different shows.  I knew Le Butcherettes, but not Inner Wave or Crumb.  When I walked in, I wasn’t even sure who was opening, although I did note that the signs announced Los Retros.

Los Retros is Mauri Tapia, from Oxnard CA.  For this show, he had a bassist and a drummer (my little brother) with him.

Tapia started on guitar and I could hear right away why they were called Los Retros.  They played a retro sound–shimmery guitars and a soft rocking sound.  The three of them were very tight with the bassist keeping a nice low end while Tapia plays some really wicked solos.  The songs varied between upbeat and slower–but the vibe was the same.

I was amazed to see that all of the people around me were singing along.

After three or so songs on guitar Tapia switched to keyboards and the rest of the set took on a very different feel–more of a smooth, soft rock vibe.  One that I didn’t like as much (I really didn’t like his keyboard sound).

But that’s because the retro in the name doesn’t apply to me.

Al Dia News notes:

The name ‘Los Retros’ pays homage to the Chilean pop group, Los Ángeles Negros — “the black angels” in English — which originally formed in 1968. …  Los Retros had a quick rise to stardom after the release of his single “Someone To Spend Time With.”

I didn’t enjoye the second half as much, but the first half of the set was great–Tapia’s guitar chops are right on.

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Le Butcherettes I also know from a Tiny Desk Concert.  Teri Gender Bender is a great punk front woman. She channels different vocal styles and can rock with the best of them.  She is also unafraid to stare at the audience.  I imagine she’d be an intense experience.

Inner Wave is a five-piece ensemble, and three of the bandmates – lead vocalist and guitarist Pablo Sotelo, bassist and vocalist Jean Pierre Narvaez, and guitarist and keyboard player Elijah Trujillo – go all the way back to middle school. Some back-in-the-day homies left the band in 2016, and keyboardist Chris Runners and drummer Luis Portillo joined the group. But their departure from the original line up hasn’t thrown off the band’s energy in the slightest, as evident in their most recent full-length release, last summer’s Underwater Pipe Dreams. The 18-track LP is the best testament to Inner Wave as they are now: an indie rock quintet who seamlessly float between psychedelic and synthwave sounds, poised for a breakthrough.

Indie Current described Crumb‘s sound on ‘Locket’ as psychedelic slacker-rock.[11] Paste Magazine called their sound a meld of “60s psych, loose jazz, and freeform indie rock into a soothing pop amalgamation.” Others describe them as psychedelic jazzy Lofi dream pop.

 

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