Tom Gallo is the host of Look at My Records on Radio Free Brooklyn.
Bushwick-based dark pop group Weeknight are back with their long awaited second album, Dead Beat Creep. The follow-up to their impressive 2014 debut, Post-Everything, sees the band round out their lineup with two additional members to significantly strengthen their signature goth-influenced post-punk sound. With this new makeup, the band’s sophomore album fuses the more classic, gloomy stylings of All About Eve with the modern, danceable post-punk sounds of bands like Interpol.
In recording the tracks on Dead Beat Creep, Weeknight exclusively used analog gear, a bit of a rarity amongst the large majority of current acts that tend to take advantage of digital means to enhance their sound. This unique approach proved highly effective, as the songs on Dead Beat Creep capture the atmosphere of an unencumbered and vivid synth pop sound marked by a vintage dark aesthetic.
The heavy use of synthesizers throughout accentuates the record’s overall eerie mood, as do the pounding, trance-like rhythms on some of the album’s later tracks. The record’s lead single, “Holes In My Heart,” was designated as such for good reason, as the song is so ethereal and trance-like that it imbues the listener into a deep lull. The duo of Andy Simmons and Holly MacGibbons make frequent use of their complementary vocal ranges, most notably on the album’s first track, “Settle Down,” which sees their perfectly interwoven harmonies on prominent display.
As seminal goth act The Cure celebrates the 30th anniversary of their magnum opus, Disintegration, it’s striking to see the continued impact of this and other classic albums of the genre on bands like Weeknight. Where Weeknight stands out is in their ability to meld these influences with their own strengths to create a cohesive, 10-song collection that sounds fresh and inviting.
You can purchase Dead Beat Creep on vinyl via Bandcamp.
The band is performing at Arlene’s Grocery on March 7 as part of the New Colossus Festival.
The shortest month of the year is coming to a close, so end it on a strong note! Check out one of these gigs this week in Bushwick:
Wednesday, Feb. 27
High Waisted, Dolly Spartans, Pom Pom Squad, Pynkie at Sunnyvale, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday evening’s gig at Sunnyvale features four artists with warm sounds that’ll make you forget we’re right in the middle of the coldest days of winter. Led by Jessica Louise Dye, headliners High Waisted play the kind of surf-y indie rock that’ll have you immediately longing for the summer months. Dolly Spartans have already hinted at performing some new material at this show. If it’s anything like their 2017 EP Time Sides With No One, they’ll be dishing up some high-energy garage pop. Pom Pom Squad, the self-described “sad girl music” project of Mia Berrin, brings some distorted bedroom pop to this lineup along with New Jersey’s Pynkie, who will be performing some hook-laden indie pop gems from her excellent 2018 debut, Neoteny.
Thursday, Feb. 28
Emily Wells at House Of Yes, 8 p.m.
House of Yes rarely hosts live music, so when they do, it’s certainly an event you won’t want to miss. This Thursday, the eclectic venue is hosting an album release celebration for Emily Wells, as she shares her brand new record, This World Is Too _____ For You. Wells will be performing the entire record in full with the Metropolis Ensemble and Shayna Dunkleman. The acclaimed multi-instrumentalist is known for combining a wide variety of musical stylings, including orchestral strings, electronics, and jazz structures.
Friday, March 1
Holy Tunics, The Natvral, Jeanines, Dondadi at Sunnyvale, 8 p.m.
Brooklyn jangle pop standouts, Holy Tunics, are prepping for the release of their next album, Hit Parade Lemonade Supersonic Spree. Their recent live sets have prominently featured unreleased material, so there’s a good chance you’ll be treated to a sneak peak of songs from this soon to be released album on Friday night at Sunnyvale. They’ll be joined by The Natvral, the new stripped down folk project of The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart’s Kip Berman. Also performing are Jeanines, a relatively new Brooklyn-based twee pop duo, who recently shared an enchanting cover of Tom Petty’s “Only A Broken Heart” and Dondadi, the electronic music project of Connor Hanwick.
Saturday, March 2
Wreckless Eric, Felice Rosser at The Safari Room at El Cortez, 8 p.m.
British power pop legend Wreckless Eric is in Bushwick for a one-off performance with a rare solo set by bassist and multi-disciplinary artist Felice Rosser. The former Stiff Records standout released his seventh studio album, Construction Time & Demolition, last year, and already has plans to release more new music in 2019. Catch him before he heads back across the pond for a U.K. tour in May!
