BY: SYDNEY SPENCER //As my second time seeing RL Grime live, it was obvious that the young DJ was determined to deliver powerful and grimey dubstep as displayed in his past hits. I entered the venue ready to head bang and get down to the dj’s iconically heavy beats. Like most RL Grime shows, the crowd was loud, packed, and ready for anything RL Grime would throw down.

This weekend RL Grime was perched on a tall platform that seemed to loom above the audience. This gave the opening light show a wicked, mysterious and enigmatic vibe. At first, this reflected the presence of a more mature DJ, but as the night went on, RL Grime’s classic sounds shined. It was also apparent that the DJ intended to showcase new mixing styles. While just as intense as his previous shows, the style had more of a “pop” style than past sets.  As much as I love his grimey dubstep, the pop sounds brought through a new energy with tons of dancing and high energy fans. With his latest single, Era, released in October, and a nationwide tour ahead, it’s understandable that RL Grime would want to expand his fan base and engage as many audiences as he can. After witnessing the relentless moshing of my friends and fellow concert-attendees, there was no doubt that RL Grime met that goal in Washington, DC.

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If their first album was already a mix between a west coast and southern feel, Ivan & Alyosha’s newest album, Its All Just Pretend, synthesized those themes in a more expressed, driven and full manner. The album retains the band’s lyrically uplifting nature and musically soothing and flowing nature, but delivers it in perhaps a more expressed, confident, and uplifting manner. Lead singer Tim Wilson’s soulful and yearning voice is harnessed in a clearer, more up front manner, commanding the attention of the listener from the first song of the album. The rest of band plays with increased vigor, even during slower songs such as “Tears in Your Eyes” and “Drifting Away,” delivering a more cohesive and substantive record. The album definitively speaks to the growth that the band has undergone, being I&A’s now second full-length album. While the album does have an air of reminiscing and reflection, it seems to have a positive drive to it, emitting a mature, hopeful sound to it.

The album begins with “Something is Wrong,” a steady tune, that synthesizes Wilson’s sustaining vocals with a driving accompaniment of bass, guitar, and drums. The song then melts quietly and slowly into one of the most driving songs of the album, “Bury Me Deep” delivering pounding drums and bass and concise and catchy vocals. The band then grooves straight into “All This Wandering Around” which retains the energy of “Bury Me Deep” with Wilson belting out vocals throughout the song, in perfect pace with the rest of band. The title track of the album, “It’s All Just Pretend” takes on a more reminiscent, somber tone, with soft guitar and percussion and Wilson’s deliberate and calm vocals in the beginning, intertwined and accented by electric guitar riffs and steady drums. The song speaks of bittersweet reflection and contemplation, ending with the guitar anthem fading away in the background.  

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