The Radio Dept’s Pop Pungency

The Radio Dept w/ GERMANS
Neumos, Seattle, WA
03.01.17

Lo-fi dream-pop has never been loftier or more politically-pungent than that of Sweden’s The Radio Dept. In support of the duo’s 2016 album, Running Out of Love, they hit Neumos‘ stage in Seattle and garnered a room full of devoted fans. It’s been six years since their last record, six years that have provided the band plenty of material to fuel their protest, the silver lining being the presentation itself. Commanding, electronic synth-pop laced with guitars and experiments in provocative sound seemed to be just what the city needed.

The night opened with GERMANS, the brainchild of Julia Kwamya of Brooklyn, and her laid back disco-laden pop. The singer-songwriter, accompanied by bassist Chris Urriola who also helped on the programmed beats, was a stunning presence in person. She danced her way through a 30-minute set of infectious self-expression, encouraging the crowd to come in close and getting them to clap out a beat. The tracks were synthy disco meets moody sadcore, with raw vocals that reflected emotional depth.

By the time TRD came on stage, the venue was packed. Instruments were strewn in a straight line across the stage, cymbals and synths alternating with guitars and laptops. The duo of Johan Duncansson and Martin Larsson were accompanied by two additional instrumentalists from their rotating roster. The four of them grabbed instruments and straight-away opened with “Slobada Narodu,” the powerful opening track to Running Out of Love.

Bursting synths and marching beats crashed over the excited crowd, all nodding their heads and singing along. The band’s cynical reflections on everything from the human condition to present politics are swept into soft vocals. TRD leaned heavily on the new album, with a smattering of other tracks that included singles “The New Improved Hypocrisy,” and “Death to Fascism.” Sounds jumped from deep bass drum pads to tambourine tracks, with little fanfare or chatter. The band members barely acknowledged one another or the crowd, and Duncansson noted “I have a hard time handling these awkward silences, you guys can talk to each other,” between tracks.

Review by Stephanie Dore
Photos by Sunny Martini

The Radio Dept

Germans