Tucson indie band Mute Swan was joined by friends Angelhood, Evergreen and Twinstar last Saturday, March 9, 2024 to bring the Linger Longer Lounge in Phoenix alive with their dreamy sounds.
“Shoegaze” is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock made up of airy vocals and loud, distorted instruments, and while it’s considered a less aggressive form of grunge and alternative rock music, the focus on reverbs and “fuzz”, as many bands call it, allow artists to still have a rough edge on their art to compete with their “parent” genres.
Before the night started, the small lounge filled up fast, having changed their normal layout by moving booths to the side and back of the room to create space for the bands and their fans to, well, gaze at their shoes while they enjoyed the melodic sounds filling the room.
Angelhood kicked off the show with a very flowy, cinematic, and feel good sound. Many of their songs had relaxed California vibes, adding to the chillness that Linger Longer Lounge provides. For their last song, they promised to “totally switch it up a bit”, and they certainly delivered on that promise with a super 80s goth darkwave sounding song.
Up next was Sonoran rock group Evergreen, who were on the soft pop-punk and melodic side with drawn-out vocals and a classic rock/grunge sound. Many of their songs had slow psychedelic vibes, but they changed it up for the last song with something a little heavier, channeling more of the classic sound of their grunge parent genre. This show was a celebration of sorts for the band, as last month they put out their first split EP on Extinction Burst with friends from Spirit Drive.
Twin Star had a very upbeat, dreamy sound with light and airy vocals. Their songs were heavier on the music and sound rather than vocals. The band describes themselves as “lots of fuzz” which is a perfect descriptor, in a good way. Their set didn’t feel “fuzzy” (as one may interpret it) as much as it felt melodic. They, too, did a 180 for the last song with the same indie movie sound as the rest of their set, but this time adding loud, contrasting vocals broken up by dreamy jam sessions.
Headliners Mute Swan brought upbeat vibes to the end of the night, keeping a nice flow with the dreamy and melodic sounds of their openers but adding a heavier emphasis on vocals and a grungier undertone. Their sound is reminiscent of very late 2010s indie rock, which was both perfectly complimented by their openers and perfectly complemented the cozy atmosphere of the lounge. As headliners tend to do, Mute Swan broke the mold and decided to not switch things up for their last song, closing the night out with a very feel-good, cinematic vibe.
Event organizer Machine with Teeth did a great job curating the different acts. Each band had their own unique sound and stage presence, but their sounds overlapped nicely so it felt like one act was seamlessly flowing into another, keeping the good vibes strong throughout the night.
Twinstar Setlist:
Vuelvo a Empezar (new single released on January 12, 2024)
Poison
i just want to know for sure, that i’ll never stop hearing words
Enter me
All i Need (Crazy)
Next show: March 30, 2024
Evergreen Setlist:
sunburst
shangri-la
abhor
burnout
spun
Angelhood Setlist:
Moon Child
Kiss of Death
Skin
Immortal Diamond
Rest in Final Peace
Next show: June 10, 2024
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