This article was written by Hannah Latina and Jaxx Artz

Hannah Latina is a Music Business Major at New York University. Hannah enjoys going to concerts, listening to music, and spending time with friends in their off time. This is their first contribution as a guest writer for The Odyssey Online.

Late one Sunday night, with the presence of music theory and ear training homework pressing at the back of my mind, I found myself making my way to the Bowery Ballroom to see a performance by Electric Guest. I had connected with a couple of this indie/electronic group’s songs before but justified my attendance at their show with the importance of having music experiences as a music business student. It comes with the major! While this is typically a cheap excuse to justify my postponing of homework, in the case of Electric Guest, my procrastination actually had merit. I will most likely forget the late hours I stayed up to finish my homework that night, but the memory of this show won’t be leaving me anytime soon.

That night, I arrive while Nine Pound Shadow, the first opening act, is playing their set. The feeling you get reading their name is the exact feeling you get listening to their music. They belt out very heavy, but slow synth jams that seem to melt into the floor as the audience begins to arrive, grab drinks, and socialize.

Then, indie-pop duo Chaos Chaos, comprised of sisters Chloe and Asya, take the stage and begin to raise the energy of the room. Encouraging the audience to dance for her sister's birthday, Asya jumps down into the crowd, banging her head and belting out her lyrics passionately. Meanwhile, Chloe is standing up on her seat, smashing out an epic drum solo outro to their set. While the audience seemed to enjoy the fast-paced, energetic music of Chaos Chaos, it wasn’t until Electric Guest took the stage that the crowd truly came alive.

Before I even catch a glimpse of the band, I feel everyone start pushing me towards the stage in an attempt to get closer to frontman Asa Taccone, who is sporting an oversized Toyota sweatshirt, truly fulfilling the indie vibe. Unprompted, the audience begins to clap along to the off beats of their opening song while rasta-colored lights fill the room. After, bright lights come onto the audience as Taccone yells, “New York, what’s good?!” and the room erupts.

Then, intense red and blue lights begin to illuminate the room, creating a deep purple glow as the band starts their next song. A light, bubbly synthesizer motif carries throughout “Amber” (off of Electric Guest’s debut album Mondo), which suddenly drops into a heavy guitar solo halfway through the song. Taccone removes his Toyota sweatshirt to reveal a white, flowy t-shirt and dances around the stage playing tambourine to accompany the soloist. His spunky energy is infectious, and you can’t help but at least tap your foot along, even if your shoe is sticking to the booze-soaked floor. His white tee, acting as a canvas for the colored lights, coupled with his fluid dancing makes him appear almost like a ghost floating through the sound. Then, he comes back into the music with his dreamy falsetto voice that makes the whole set feel almost ethereal. Just as you’re being taken away, the song finishes and Taccone says something like, “Being on tour is some humbling shit” and you’re brought right back down to Earth.

He makes a comment about the current state of the US and reassures the audience that music will always accompany current events with “Over” (off the group's most recent album Plural). He introduces it as a song about hard times passing, and this sentiment is carried out in the first line, “The sun is back again.” This line sounds labored, as it is sung slowly over quicker synth notes, giving the feeling of overcoming adversity.

Taccone picks up the mood with the next song, though. The infamous piano line from their most famous song “This Head I Hold” (also from Mondo) begins and the crowd goes wild before Taccone even sings the first line. This upbeat/poppy tune gets everyone dancing, and as he sings the chorus “Ooh, I go higher”, the audience gets a high of its own.

Before the final song, Taccone yells “This is our last song. We love you so much!” and the feeling is mutual for every person standing below the stage, their lit-up eyes widened, awe-struck.

For those of you who enjoy music of the indie-pop persuasion, I say that Electric Guest is worth a shot. Right now, they go unrecognized by a majority of music-lovers, making it possible to sit and have a drink with them after the show if you want. I bet that soon enough, though, this band will be hitting the top charts, and the memories of long nights at the Bowery Ballroom will reign sweet and supreme in my mind.