On Thursday night New York duo Tanlines played a sold out Bowery Ballroom, their second New York show in two days (they played Rough Trade NYC the night before). The shows came one week ahead of the release of their brand new album Highlights (out via True Panther Sounds), their first new album in three years. The show featured a great opening set from the one-man show Mas Ysa who had a firm hold over those early enough to catch him.
I last caught Tanlines at Governors Ball last summer where they shared some of the new songs that would eventually end up on Highlights. With the the varied and full sounds of the new album, the duo of Eric Emm and Jesse Cohen required a little bit of help bringing it to life. This performance was just their second ever show with their new four-piece band that included Travis Dillon and Cale Parks (of Aloha, Brahms, Yeasayer) on drums. Like so many, I’ve only ever known Tanlines as a duo so this was an interesting thing to see, but it really brought their sound to life in a bigger and fuller way, which meant it clearly did its job.
Their 11-song set featured about half of the new album mixed in with tracks from their debut album Mixed Emotions, as well as some earlier singles such as S.A.W., which was released in 2010. The crowd at Bowery Ballroom came out to party, letting their smooth dance jams take over them completely. Emm and Cohen shared eager smiles looking out at the crowd when they were singing along to their songs, just as the regular set finale of “Real Life,” which to the surprise of no one, was the highlight of the night. They returned for a 2-song encore of “Invisible Ways” and “Not The Same,” putting a pleasing bow to a wholly enjoyable night of music.
Setlist:
1. Running Still
2. Slipping Away
3. Brothers
4. S.A.W.
5. Bad Situations
6. Green Grass
6. Two Thousand Miles
7. Pieces
8. All Of Me
9. Real Life
Encore:
10. Invisible Ways
11. Not The Same
Tanlines – “Pieces” Music Video:
Mas Ysa:
Tanlines:
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