That photo isn’t from last night, because my phone was dying and Tom Krell started out by saying “Can we get these lights off?” proceeded by the projection of faces slowly taring from each other, visually screaming, set against white. Now it surprised me that How To Dress Well expanded to include a keyboardist and sampler/violinist, because I remember him just using a sampler and doing the best karaoke-style singing ever. Anyway, the set started out real fucking heavy, something about “You got a baby now” and “Shit.” It was hard to pinpoint a lot of his tracks for two reasons. First off, my favorite part of live shows is sound absorption. Almost each and every song was a struggle for him to belt out the sweetest little licks through the most layered noise; it was borderline magical. The boii got pipes, and maybe it’s the raw emotion or conscious sacrifice of art, but it all worked too well. Second, they’re just kind of that act that switches their original track style when played live. Yet, that makes a more interesting show. Most of the songs performed here I recognized off the new How To Dress Well album Total Loss, two or three were from Love Remains, and one new track. The last track performed was “Ocean Floor For Everything,” which seized my pal Stephen with sound. I looked over to see his eyes flickering back, jamming his fist in the air. He had been saved!
How to Dress Well
Santos Party House; New York City
