Chicago Based Band sold out teragram with Babehoven

Slow Pulp consists of childhood friends Teddy Mathews, Alex Leeds, Henry Stoehr, and Emily Massey. The Midwest-based group bases their sound around shoegaze-like textures coupled with an early 2000s grunge feel. The group has been steadily releasing music since 2017 and this time around they are touring their most recent album release Yard. This record marks their first full-length project under the American independent label Anti, which is also home to notable indie acts like The Drums, Title Fight, and Fleet Foxes. Yard is the natural progression of the group as they lean more into folk-like songwriting while still staying true to the sounds that brought them together.

I turned around the corner of W 7th Street in search of a lucky parking spot, but as I passed the venue, there was a line that wrapped around the corner. After a little stroll to the doors, I got my credentials and headed straight to the stage. There isn’t a photo pit at the Teragram so I got the best spot I could and planted my feet for the rest of the night. Babehoven, the indie rock duo that consists of guitarist Ryan Albert and lead singer Maya Bon. The pair took audiences down a beautiful rabbit hole of acoustic textures and ambient soundscapes. Albert’s guitar playing was a standout for as he used his amp feedback and his pedal board to make very interesting sounds that created this space for Bon’s vocals to shine. It was a few days past Bon’s birthday so Slow Pulp surprised her with a cake while leading the crowd in singing “Happy Birthday.”

The band wrapped up their set and paved the way for Slow Pulp to close out the night. At this point the venue was packed; I overheard fans talking about how it was even hard to get to the bar because there were so many people. Soon enough the lights dimmed and it was time. Opening with the song “Slugs” off their new album, it was immediately clear that the band was ready to put on a great show. I was very impressed by how their songs translated to the live setting, especially Massey’s vocals, they felt full and present. The band also had a very on-brand lighting rig, where the stage was full of fog while simultaneously being filled with at least 20 lights. This created a wall of light almost between fans and the band which helped add to the overall feel of the show. Slow Pulp was very creative throughout their set using various effects on their guitars and keys to build ambient spaces in between songs to transition smoothly. At one point Massey’s guitar stopped working in the middle of one of the transitions and they stopped the song as she put it down, saying “We will try that one later.” Since Massey was guitar-less at this point, her energy exploded as she ran around the stage freely engaging the audience all while effortlessly hitting falsettos. 

Almost in exchange for the guitar, when they played the song “Broadview,” Massey brought out the harmonica to rip a massive solo which brought the crowd alive. In almost a blink of an eye, the band was thanking everybody for such a wonderful show and then left the stage. The sold-out crowd was not going to allow that to happen as they cheered, eventually bringing the band back out to play their biggest song “High” off their breakout EP Big Day. The band took a bow and waved as they left the stage, but hung out around the merch tables, holding conversations with all the attendees which was very sweet. As I made my way out of the venue, the bands said goodbye making me feel like I was a part of a family in that room.