As we first announced a couple months back, electro/indie acts Hellogoodbye and Vacationer are set to co-headline tonight at 12th and Porter, with Heavenly Beat more recently tapped to open. If you only know Hellogoodbye for their early success, or if you’re only familiar with Vacationer’s Kenny Vasoli though his other band, The Starting Line, you should do yourself a favor and continue reading for a full preview. Both bands offer some of the best, most interesting indie pop around, and this show is one of our top picks for the entire week. Don’t miss out!
HELLOGOODBYE
If you only know Hellogoodbye for their cheesy (but, let’s be real, still awesome) mid 2000′s hit “Here (In Your Arms),” you’re in for a pretty big shock. In 2010, the group ditched their auto-tuned, synthed-out sound to showcase their stripped-down, genuine knack for penning straightforward pop songs, with their sophomore effort Would It Kill You? Then, in 2013, they underwent yet another, logical transformation. Finding a common ground between previous releases, Hellogoodbye’s latest, Everything Is Debatable, sounds more akin to a Passion Pit record, laden with huge hooks, diverse instrumentation, dense, layered, atmospheric synth lines, and the best songwriting the group has ever showcased. For a taste, check out the title track below!
VACATIONER
Another former darling of the pop punk/emo scene, Vacationer mastermind Kenny Vasoli got his start fronting The Starting Line. If you’ve never heard Vasoli’s new project, however, you’re in for quite a surprise, since it’s pretty much a total 180 sound-wise. Channeling a chilled-out, tribal, and hypnotic indie pop sound, Vacationer quietly crept onto the scene with their 2012 debut, Gone, and are poised to follow it up with forthcoming sophomore effort, Relief. Though Vacationer might not sound anything like the band that made Kenny famous, his knack for crafting smart, poppy, and relatable songs has carried over, as has his engaging and unparalleled gift for live performance. Check out brand new single “The Wild Life” below:
HEAVENLY BEAT
The electro-pop alias of former Beach Fossils’ bassist John Peña, Brookyln’s Heavenly Beat began as a side project and morphed into a full-time endeavor, releasing a full-length debut, Talent, in 2012, and a fantastic followup, Prominence, last year. Though technically a solo endeavor, Heavenly Beat perform live with a full band, and are beyond a perfect fit stylistically with Hellogoodbye and Vacationer. This is one stacked bill, and Heavenly Beat are a hell of a good reason to show up early.
Hellogoodbye, Vacationer, and Heavenly Beat will perform TONIGHT, April 29, at 12th and Porter. The show is 18+, begins at 9 p.m. (doors at 8 p.m.), and tickets are available for $15.
