Chicago band Brady have a clear view of shoegaze

Sam Boyhtari makes spellbinding shoegaze with the band Greet Death in Flint, Michigan, but for the past few years he’s also been part of a four-piece group based in Chicago. In August that band, Brady, released their debut album, You Sleep While They Watch (Flesh & Bone). They use shoegaze’s weather-system scale and amniotic warmth without saturating their music in wall-to-wall distortion. Instead Brady prioritize clarity, which is most noticeable in Boyhtari’s vocals—throughout the album he articulates himself calmly and clearly, and his lyrics about our misbegotten world ride high in the mix so you don’t miss a single harrowing word. On the epic closing number, “Catherine,” Boyhtari weaves together several tragic end-of-life narratives, loading them with the clinical detail of a reporter’s notes. But his serene demeanor and the band’s clean, focused playing lend the song a flicker of hope—or at least the sense that the pain of grief can be softened by your chosen community.

Brady Spread Joy headline; Wad and Brady open. Tue 1/17, 9 PM, Sleeping Village, 3734 W. Belmont, $5, 21+

Read More