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PREVIEW Courtney Barnett at The Anthem 7/24

BY TORI SWIACKI// Courtney Barnett, the indie darling of Australia, is returning to Washington, DC this Tuesday, July 24.

Barnett and her music have always held a certain staying power, between the blend of folk guitar dressed up with garage rock influences and her deadpan lyrics giving fans no shortages of witty quotes to swap. The most recognizable, and perhaps my personal favorite, will perhaps always be, “Give me all your money, and I’ll make some origami honey,” from her 2015 sophomore album, “Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit.”

  Putting the sometimes pithy nature of her usual lyrics aside, other tracks reveal a soft, queer love, like “Depreston,” telling the story of moving in with a partner and what it feels like to choose a new home for oneself. In her newest album, “Tell Me How You Really Feel,” Barnett shows a rare display of aggression in the middle track, “I’m Not Your Mother, I’m Not Your Bitch,” which is neatly balanced out by the opening track “Hopefulessness,” with a simple plucked melody that never fails to hypnotize.

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NUEX: DC-based Synth-Pop Duo

 

NUEX performing at the W Hotel’s Rooftop lounge

NUEX, a Washington, DC-based duo has been producing dark-wave electronic/pop music since the pair met at a local eatery.  Having performed at both Liv Nightclub and the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, NUEX’s music is uniquely introspective and caters to a diverse fanbase.

Their latest single, EYES, becomes available on all music platforms today! They’ve also announced their debut EP, Affectus, for release on May 25. Comprised of singer-songwriter Camille Michelle Gray and drummer-producer Teddy Aitkins, Affectus is a five-track collection that fuses haunting synths with kick-clap, hip-hop influenced rhythms.

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REVIEW: Stars at 930 Club

BY SARAH SOPHER// What a special band and concert! Stars brought me all the feels at their show tonight. Honestly, just hearing Torquil and Amy singing together gets me emotional. The concert began with tracks from their latest album, “No One Falls In Love In Fluorescent Light,” and then, the Canadian band continued their almost 2-hour set with tracks from so many of their different albums. My favorite part of the show was hearing both of the singers describe their experiences at the 930 Club and in Washington, DC.  Torquil gave the audience something to be proud of when he told us, “If society treated artists the way the 930 Club treats artists, we would have a better society in my opinion.” Amy continued, “I have a one-year-old son and he’s already been to the 930 Club twice! So.. We are lucky.” Stars noted that this tour is unique in that there have been multiple children in the audience at recent shows. It feels nice to know that artists are treated right at our local venue.

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PREVIEW: Waxahatchee @ 9:30 Club

BY: SYDNEY SPENCER

On Sunday, April 15th, 2018 I will be seeing my favorite artist in D.C. for the second time. Even with graduation around the corner, nothing else could make me more excited.  

Indie solo project, Waxahatchee, has humble beginnings in young Katie Crutchfield’s hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. In 2010, Katie recorded her first album, American Weekend, in her bedroom of her parent’s house. Its cassette-recorded tracks are laced with the intimacy of the young artist’s personal accounts of recklessness, finding love and losing it. With her honest lyrics and candid acoustic guitar, it’s hard not to feel connected to Katie in someway. The album was quickly discovered and praised by the indie community, its track “Be Good” was listed on NPR’s song of the day playlist and rated as one of the station’s top 50 songs in 2012.

In 2013, Katie released Waxahatchee’s second album – Cerulean Salt. The album (my personal favorite) is less melancholy and more reflective, focusing more on Katie’s experience growing up including insight into her relationship with her twin sister and moving across the country to New York City. I highly recommend checking out “Brother Bryan” or “Dixie Cups and Jars”.

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