Given the show Superorganism put on Sunday night at Brighton Music Hall, if you had told me I had gone to an exhibit at MOMA PS1, I would have believed you. The 8-person band’s show was so calculated, it felt as though we were watching a production unfold in front of our eyes instead of a standard concert. The show began with the earth ominously spinning towards us, slowly growing towards us as the band members walked out in brightly colored raincoats ringing little bells. The ground began to shake below us, mimicking a moon landing. While we were all shocked by this entrance, we didn’t question it, as we eagerly boarded their spaceship that would launch us into the world of Superorganism for 45 minutes.

Lights pulsed to the beat of “Nobody Cares,” with the too-cool-for-school frontwoman Orono Noguchi’s lyrics of “Sweet relief when you grow up and see for yourself / Nobody cares,” aiding to the effortlessness style of her performance. It felt as though we were all gathered in her basement for a casual house show instead of a concert venue. Noguchi, the youngest member of the group at 17 years old, added a youthful aspect to the rather middle-aged crowd, as she commanded the crowd to join her in performing by joining her fellow bandmates in interpretive dances and head banging.

The band seeped into “Night Time,” with a jarring alarm clock shaking the building, melting into the soft whispers of “Wake up, wake up, wake up.” For a band that is so calculated, they were by far one of the most relaxed groups I’ve seen on stage. Everything about the show – from their movements to visuals – seemed natural, as if thrusting fruit maracas and wearing 3D glasses in public is a daily task. All 8 members were completely emerged in the energy of every song.

“WHAT’S OUR EP AND BAND NAME CALLED?” Noguchi shouted into the microphone. SUPERORGANISM! We responded “AND WHAT ARE ALL OF YOU?” SUPERORGANISMS we shouted, willingly joining their futuristic cult, as the band set up for their self-titled song. If there were people in the audience before this that weren’t dancing, they suddenly felt inclined to join the show, with Noguchi pointing out the role model crowd members who could have easily been on stage with the group.

Surprisingly, I found myself dancing and shouting along to the songs I didn’t initially enjoy from the album. Songs like “Nai’s March,” relied heavily on the visual aspect of video games in order to make the random noises of frog ribbiting and arcade sound effects flow cleanly with the other songs on the album. Behind the band, the words GAME OVER flashed, as prerecorded vocals shouted the advancements of levels, as if the group had stopped to play a quick game of Super Mario Brothers. The members focused their eyes to the ground, slowly swaying as the song faded in. This song was truly meant to be live, as it just sounds like a bunch of random buttons being pushed, and in a way served as a break from the intensive dancing that were accompanied by the previous six songs.

The band finished “Everybody Wants to Be Famous,” and set themselves up for their encore with the song that shot them into stardom – “Something for your M.I.N.D.” With only 10 songs in their repertoire, the encore felt rather forced and a bit awkward, since we all knew this was one of the only song they hadn’t yet played. However, we as the audience played along and the band quickly returned for a one-song encore that had the crowd head banging and thrashing across the floor.

Myself and surrounding crowd members were completely engulfed in Superorganism’s world. By the end of the show we had all become superorganism too. Although the roundtrip T ride was equivalent to the length of the concert, Superorganism put on one of the best concerts I’ve been to in a while. If there’s one band to see in 2018, Superorganism makes the cut.

Superorganism @ Brighton Music Hall

When I first saw the line-up for this tour, I was beyond ecstatic to make my way down to the Sinclair in Cambridge. It’s been awhile since I’ve been to a show where I’ve known both openers and headlining band. The Frights have always reminded me of the punk music I listened to in my emo stage of middle school, as their songs are full of anthems dealing with the struggles of growing up. Combined with the grittiness of Vundabar and the beach-esque sound of Hockey Dad, the concert was set to be the perfect showcase of variety within the punk genre.

The night began with the Australian duo comprised of Billy Fleming and Zach Stephenson, better known as Hockey Dad. The group introduced themselves with ‘Can’t Have Them,’ the first track on their most recent album, 

. For two guys, Hockey Dad carried a full sound and had no trouble filling up the room with their surf–pop tunes. The Aussie boys were beyond excited to be in Boston, disclosing that the Bostonian accent was their favorite American accent. I’ve been listening to this group for a few years, patiently waiting for them to return to the United States for a show, and I can happily say they lived up to my expectations.

Following Hockey Dad was Vundabar, a Massachusetts based group. This was the perfect follow up to Hockey Dad, as the band carried a heavy punk side to them. The set was full of the band’s own bits, including a spunky red cowboy hat worn by the lead singer, Brandon Hagen, mid-way through the set. Hagen explained his vocal chords were not up to par at the moment, comparing them to clam chowder, in which a fellow concertgoer screamed “I’LL EAT YOUR CLAM CHOWDER!” The room was quite uncomfortable with this response, as was the rest of the band. Vundabar ended their set with their song, ‘Voodoo,’ which featured a country infused twang that matched perfectly with Hagen’s cowboy hat.

On that note, it was time for the headliners to take the stage. I first saw The Frights back in 2015, when they opened for SWMRS on their first tour, and again last fall when they opened with SWMRS for FIDLAR’s North American Tour. The group began their set with the ultimate teenage rebellion anthem, ‘Kids,’ and the crowd erupted in an uncontrollable mosh fueled by pure teenage angst. The Frights have certainly grown over the last few years, extending their fan base and selling out a few shows on their current headlining tour. The band has also become much more comfortable on stage, incorporating their own “bits,” into their set, such as taking the classic ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb,’ and turning it into a punk ode to Boston. The group excitedly proclaimed they were playing their 300th show, saying this event marked the 300th time they had fooled everyone into thinking they were a real band. The Frights ended the night with the iconic ‘Fight for Your Right (To Party),’ cover by The Beastie Boys, pleasing the young and old fans at the venue.

The Frights + Vundabar + Hockey Dad @ The Sinclair

, began with the launch of their most recent single, ‘I Miss That Feeling,’ which only left me aching for more new songs by husband-and-wife duo Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore. 

 follows shortly after the release of their fourth studio album, 

 which was released in March of this year.

The first track, ‘No Exit,’ introduces a combination of pairing a drum machine with the sound of a live kit. This layering of percussion helps to support Moore’s outer space-like chords that hold onto their notes, while the percussion becomes the driving force of the song. The track is light on its toes thanks to Moore’s ethereal voice, making it the perfect pop dance song on the album.

One of the standout tracks in terms of experimentation with new sound on the EP is ‘Diamond Ring,’ which features Moore talking about her recent marriage to fellow band member Riley. The song is the ideal beach tune, with a driving bass and hooky chorus. However, while I enjoyed this song, the reverb and echo on Moore’s vocal distracted from her poetic lyrics with lines like, “I’ve been looking at your diamond rings / And reflecting on the things they tell me / That they move too quick to misbehave / A dissenter cannot be a slave / I’m waiting on you to make my heart move.”

My personal favorite on the EP is still the lead single, ‘I Miss That Feeling,’ as Riley’s intricate guitar riff compliments Moore’s steady keyboard and bouncing vocals. The entrance of the drums on the track comes in at the perfect moment in the chorus, enriching its intensity. I especially enjoyed Moore’s vocals spinning off the end of the chorus in an echo. Tennis is clearly experimenting with their sound on this album, and it is executed quite well on this track.

 showed that the band is testing out new sounds, launching the group towards a more dance-orientated sound. The record flashes before listeners, lasting under 20 minutes in length, and leaves them wanting more from the songwriting duo. The band will embark in early 2018 on their North American tour in support of their new project, and having seen the group live once before, this will be one show you won’t want to miss.

Tennis release EP ‘We Can Die Happy’

WRBB had the opportunity to chat with upcoming artist, morgxn, before he arrived in Boston last week for his show with Phoebe Ryan.

You’ve already got a few shows under belt – how has the tour been going so far?

I don’t want to jinx it, but i think it’s the best one yet. First of all, Philly and New York are amazing cities, so you can’t beat that. It’s kind of the best start ever. There’s no way to go but up, so it’s like we’re starting out with a bang.

How do you prep yourself while you’re on tour and before you go on stage?

I really like to workout while I’m on tour. I have this mobile rig that I bring with me. It’s a weird thing when you travel from city to city because you’re never in one place long enough for it to feel like home. When I workout and have my coffee, for some reason it makes my mind feel like I’m at home. The only thing is … you’re not. I walk around, and I have no idea where I am. But I like that. Before I go on stage with my band, we do this weird breathing thing together, where if anyone was to ever watch us, they’d be like “this is too strange for normal consumption”. It just centers me, and that’s the most important thing for me – to feel grounded before I go on stage.

You also did theatre for a little bit – do you think that has an influence on the way you prepare yourself?

Honestly, you saying that makes me feel like … yeah, there is. There’s something about what I’m doing with my music, and how it’s a culmination of all the places I’ve been. I’m from Nashville, and I live in Los Angeles, but I’ve lived in New York and Chicago. To me, yeah I did theatre, but my music I write is the first time a way for me express what’s going on with myself, and in a way, it feels like everything I’ve done up until this point has been preparing me for this moment in my life. I think what theatre gave me was a sense of strength, and there’s definitely a power in ritual for any artist. Any artist you talk to has some kind of ritual before a show that makes them feel grounded and connected to their source, whatever that is. For me, theatre is definitely that place where they cherish ritual.

What made you decide to pursue a career in music rather than theatre?

I don’t think I ever made a decision that I’m pursuing theatre or I’m pursuing music. That was just how life unfolded for me. I did have a moment in theatre where I start to realize you can only sing songs for so long that other people give you and then you start to lose who you are. And I definitely felt like I lost a sense of who I was in that journey. For me, pen to paper was the place that unlocked my own strength. I’m in a Lyft right now and the driver had this radio station on, and this woman on there is like “If I can’t get up in the morning and look myself in the mirror, and tell myself I love myself, then I’m not doing a great job.” And I’m like “Amen,” because for me that was the thing I couldn’t do. I couldn’t get up in the morning and say “I love you,” and I was just so stuck. And music was my get out.

Do you have a favorite song you like to perform live?

I could never even chose. I think right now it’s ‘Bruised,’ which is a song I just put out. There’s just something energetic that happens when you release it. That’s a song about being about to look yourself in the mirror or look someone else in the eyes and tell them that you love them completely.

What was your process with getting into the music industry?

Honestly, just writing the music. Doing theatre is a beautiful thing, but making your own music is a journey that no one can really tell you how it’s done. You can create the journey until you’ve created the music. I knew I wanted to make music. I was in New York and on a whim just sold everything I owned and moved to LA, and I knew no one. But when I came to New York, you know, I met people at parties and they were like “Oh you should come to the studio, we need someone to record a demo,” and I walked into the studio, and the track wasn’t finished, and I didn’t know anything. I thought I was just going in to record and demo and it turned out I was actually writing the song too, and singing. And that lead to me discovering things I did like and things I didn’t like. I kind of got into electronic music and how I could blend the thrill of dance music over the emotional qualities that come from a good song. I would say it was one day, I wrote the song “xx” where I finished it I was like, there’s something different about this and instead of rushing the process I want to keep writing. I guess what the difference is between [writing music] and anything else is that I didn’t force it to become something, I just kind of let it happen over time. The most specific thing is that you need to write the music and then let the music tell you where it needs to go.

Your single ‘Home’ has been your most successful track on Spotify, with over 5 million streams at the moment – what was the inspiration for writing that song?

You know, I’ve said this before, and I really mean it – I have no idea what I’m writing when I start writing a song. The truth is the melody for me and the way words fall out of the mouth is what the writing process is like. The verse came first, and then the lyrics “back home where the blood runs through my soul,” that’s just the words that came out of my mouth that came to me in the moment and felt right. It also felt kind of strange and unsettling, and in that way, it felt right. I finished that song, and I kind of forgot about it, because in the middle of writing all this music, my dad passed away. For me, I kind of let it all go for 6 months and I found that song in my email and I just started crying and I was like I need to finish that song. I went and recorded a choir in Nashville, where I’m from, and that was the finishing touch. When I stood back and listened to it, I knew that was it.

You’ve been receiving a lot of praise for the music you’ve released so far – do you have any plans for releasing an album in the near future?

I’m finishing up my first album and planning to release it in 2018.

How would you describe your sound to someone who’s never heard it before?

Do you think you have a specific sound that you’ve captured from one area or do you think living all over the place has influenced the way your music sounds?

That’s a great question. I feel like I’m less interested in the way something sounds as a whole as much as I’m interested in making the right choices for the song. To me, when someone who doesn’t know me listens to my music, they get a sense of me. I know I’m a mixture of all these different cities, but I feel like you can really hear LA and Nashville in the way I write and sing. I think we’re in an exciting time for music, where where you’re from, who you are, what you look like is not as important as if the music is real and resonates with people. This is journey for me about putting out songs that are important for me and then finding my tribe along the way. That’s what’s awesome about tour.

What new music have you been listening to recently?

 album. There are no words. I want to say the word “sexy,” but I feel like that is such an unfair term for her music because it’s far more than that. I feel like she masters something very clean and very dirty at the same time.

Where do you get your inspiration for writing music?

I’m the kind of person who gets the most inspiration from pictures and visuals than from listening to thing. I’m definitely a museum dweller. I try to go to museums, and that’s sort of my recharge.

What advice do you have for aspiring musicians?

Someone asked me that after my show in Philly, and I’ve been thinking about that a lot. When I left New York, I was very heartbroken and I was very defeated, and then to come back, and now I have more love in my heart than I’ve ever had before. You can’t draw a straight line from where you are and where you want to be. I think if you can, you’re not dreaming big enough. I guess my advice is enjoy the twist and turns, and keep putting yourself out there. You have no idea what people are going to on a day-to-day basis, and now more than ever, we need people to put their heart on the line for the people and things they love. It can be hard and confusing and lonely, but I don’t think there’s a better way to live than going after what you love.

I like that a lot. My last question is: if you were a new addition to the crayon box, what color would you be and why?

I’m gonna go with Pink Flamingo. I don’t know if that’s a color already so if it is, then we’re the Neon Flamingo, because it’s a more vibrant version of the pink we know and love. Plus, I have really skinny legs like a flamingo, and I have a neon pink flamingo in my room, so that’s definitely my crayon.

Q&A with morgxn

‘Twas a nippy Thursday evening as I embarked on my first Boston concert endeavor to The Sinclair to see Beach Fossils’ sold out show. Blue lights bathed the stage as garage-band-meets-early-Spooky-Black-band Raender opened the show. Hauling in a 5-day car ride from Los Angeles, California, the band brought a synth meets rock sound to the venue. The bass player was truly memorizing to watch; I’ve never seen anyone move like a chicken while looking aesthetically pleasing at the same time. With Raender’s first EP release on October 6, they were filled with passion and intent on persuading the audience with their sound.

Snail Mail then took the stage changing the mood to a soft Avril Lavigne indie vibe. Even after a tragic incident involving a misplaced capo and a lose amp chord, the band still managed to maintain their cool and continue their set. That being said, it was evident that the lead singer was extremely displeased with her performance, as she departed briskly from the stage at the end of the set without so much as a goodbye. A reverse in the lineup of openers would have supplied for a more pleasing experience, as the first group was far more enthusiastic and engaging to watch. Regardless, the crowd was eagerly buzzing after both openers in anticipation for the Beach Fossil.

From the moment they first stepped onstage, it was clear that the band was extremely excited to be in Boston, as they immediately began joking around with each other and were able to engage the audience throughout the duration of their show.

“We haven’t been here in a minute” the lead singer exclaimed as the band entered the stage, referencing the band’s former break from touring.

With a 3-year gap between the band’s album releases and the replacement of all members except for the lead singer, Dustin Payseur, the group’s sound has changed slightly. Despite this, the group was able to mix in both new and old songs, making for an exciting variety for listeners. As the show began, the crowd quickly became a sea of bopping bodies and, to my surprise, a mosh pit arose.

HOLD UP, DID I JUST SAY A MOSH PIT AT BEACH FOSSILS? I’m just as surprised as you are – and apparently so were a few other fans, as a few quarrels even broke out due to the intenseness of this mosh. I am a firm believer that a crowd makes or breaks a concert experience, and this crowd was attempting to demolish it.

At one point the guitar player began playing ‘Wonderwall’ by Oasis as a time filler between songs, in which the lead singer and the audience jumped in for a short sing along.

“This is a new one we’ve been working on,” joked lead singer, Dustin.

The encore was a tender moment in, what I felt was our newly formed friendship with the band, which began with a bra being thrusted onto the stage, inevitably resulting in Dustin deciding to adorn himself with said bra.

“I promise I’ll give it back!” he assured fans.

The encore was relatively short with two songs and a snippet of Coldplay’s ‘Clocks’ being played to fill time, as the lead singer truly did not want to leave us. We were brought into Beach Fossils CornerTM as the band departed from us. The lead singer passionately clutched his Grey Goose bottle, telling us to go out into the world and spread love, even throwing in a diss about President Trump á la EMINEM. The crowd reluctantly parted from our dearly beloved Beach Fossils, and, as promised, the bra was returned to its rightful owner, restoring the balance in the universe.

Maya Dengel