Sound Of Summer

Wednesday night, I stopped at The Horseshoe for current indie darling Alvvays for the 1st of two sold-out shows. Taylor Knox was up first. Similar to last time, this trio just gave off the vibe of a bunch of dudes enjoying themselves (That's What You Do, Fire). They had a really heavy bass/drum sound that was good to bop to. Up next was The Taste who claimed to channel a 70s sound. Certainly, with the hair and skinny physiques, these guys had the look down. It wasn't the weirder 70s but more like The Doors: a foundation of feel-good 50s rock (Everything Changed Last Night) with a swirl (sometimes literally from the organ-y synth) of psychedelic chords (The City). Some of the lyrics channeled a bit of prog rock woo-woo. But it was all fun.

Molly Rankin of Alvvays remarked that her first show in Toronto had 9 people in the audience. Only a few months ago at a free show for Long Winter, there were maybe 30 people waiting to see them. But by luck or serendipity, they seemed to be on the verge of major success. I enjoyed their set of jangly pop songs, but am admittedly stumped with their sudden rise. Their songs were interesting, but not more so than numerous local bands on the scene. But the capacity crowd loved songs like Party Police, Adult Diversion, and their potential break-out Archie, Marry Me. The audience definitely skewed early 20s and I suspect Alvvays' music evoked that summer feeling for kids who aren't into the latest Top 40 song of summer: beat up cars, jean shorts, cottages.