Tuesday 3/29
Cousin Stizz at the Entry – TICKETS
A native of Boston, Cousin Stizz is a steadily rising hip-hop artist best known for his laid-back flow and lifestyle raps. He grew up listening to ’90s hip-hop acts like A Tribe Called Quest and Notorious B.I.G., but when he heard Atlanta rapper Gucci Mane for the first time, he became enamored with the slow, hypnotic beats from that region. Not long after Stizz started making music of his own, he released his renowned debut mixtape Suffolk County in 2015.
Released independently, Suffolk County gained a word-of-mouth cult following, attracting the attention of artists like Drake and Mac Miller, both of whom, directly and indirectly, cosigned him early in his career. In 2016, Stizz released his sophomore mixtape MONDA, named after a friend from his neighborhood who passed away in his teens. Shortly thereafter, Stizz inked a deal with RCA records, through which he released his next two projects, One Night Only (2017) and Trying To Find My Next Thrill (2019).
Thursday 3/31
Nation of Language at the Fine Line – TICKETS
Brooklyn-based synth auteurs Nation of Language entered 2020 as one of the most heralded new acts of recent memory, having only released a handful of singles but already earning high praise from the likes of NME, FADER, Stereogum, Pitchfork, etc. Now in 2021, they continue to turn heads having released one of the most critically acclaimed debut albums of last year, Introduction, Presence, and recent breakout single ‘A Different Kind of Life’.
The band’s ability to blend the upbeat with a healthy dose of sardonic melancholy made it a staple on year-end Best of 2020 lists, led PASTE magazine to dub the album, “The most exciting synth-pop debut in years,” and landed the band major radio play from The BBC, KCRW, KEXP, SiriusXM and countless others. Inspired by the early new-wave and punk movements, the band quickly earned a reputation for delivering frenzied nights of unconventional bliss to rapt audiences, and established themselves as bright young stars emerging from a crowded NYC landscape.
A Way Forward is the follow up to Introduction, Presence. While much of the sounds on the band’s previous record garnered comparisons to the synth-punk sound of the ’80s, on this new offering the band delved heavily into the Krautrock pioneers and electronic experimentalists of the ’70s for inspiration in the studio, stretching their boundaries in new and different ways. Recorded during the lockdowns of 2020, production on A Way Forward was divided between Introduction, Presence producer Abe Seiferth and Nick Milhiser of Holy Ghost!
Saturday 4/2
SASAMI at the Entry – TICKETS
SASAMI (Sasami Ashworth) released her second studio album, Squeeze, on February 25, 2022 on Domino Records. Squeeze hammers home a sentiment of “anti-toxic positivity” and showcases her vicious honesty and brutally uncompromising vision, partially inspired by the Japanese yōkai folk spirit called Nure-onna (translation: wet woman), a vampiric deity that has the head of a woman and the body of a snake.
On Squeeze, SASAMI explores her wide spectrum of moods—from raging at systemic violence to wrestling for control in her personal relationships. Throughout, the singer-songwriter and producer surveys the raw aggression of nu-metal, tender plainspokeness of country-pop and folk rock, and dramatic romanticism of classical music.
Fletcher at the Fine Line – TICKETS
Praised by leading outlets like TIME, Wonderland, Harper’s Bazaar, Interview Magazine, GQ, NME, The Guardian, and more, FLETCHER hails from Asbury Park, New Jersey, where she cultivated her passion for music and her unforgettably candid storytelling. After graduating from NYU’s famed Clive Davis Institute for Recorded Music, FLETCHER carved out a distinct space for herself in pop music, and in 2019 released her debut EP you ruined new york city for me via Capitol Records. The widely lauded EP features her breakthrough hit “Undrunk,” a track that spent several weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, scored the #1 spot on Spotify’s Viral Chart, emerged as the fastest-rising song at pop radio from a new artist in the past five years, and earned FLETCHER a nomination for iHeartRadio’s Best New Pop Artist. Over the years, FLETCHER has sold out several headline tours and landed impressive slots at Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Life is Beautiful, and other major festivals. Released in September 2020, FLETCHER’s EP THE S(EX) TAPES hit No. 1 on iTunes across all genres and drew acclaim from outlets like Teen Vogue, SPIN, PAPER, Billboard and many others. An unfiltered look into FLETCHER’s world, the EP is a collection of magnetic and moody pop songs about feeling like you‘ve found your forever person before you find yourself and, as a result, needing to uncover the parts of you that remain unknown. The EP’s gold-certified lead single “Bitter” has now surpassed 175 million global streams. Her track “Last Laugh” is available now on the soundtrack to the Academy Award-winning film Promising Young Woman and, “Cherry”— her widely acclaimed recent single featuring trailblazing pop star Hayley Kiyoko “is out now. FLETCHER was also nominated for a 2021 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Breakthrough Music Artist along with landing on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list for 2022. To date, FLETCHER’s television performances include “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “TODAY” and “Ellen.”
Sunday 4/3
We Were Promised Jetpacks at the Turf Club – TICKETS
Since releasing 2018’s The More I Sleep The Less I Dream, We Were Promised Jetpacks’ Adam Thompson, Sean Smith, and Darren Lackie have embraced change head-on. Amicably parting ways with guitarist Michael Palmer, leaving a notable empty fourth corner in their practice room, it marked a transitory moment in the band’s acclaimed career, and one that would be cemented by events to come.
Entering 2020 as a trio with a handful of songs written and a small tour under their belts, the world around them came to a sudden halt. Yet despite the unquestionable hardship that the lockdown brought with it, for a band looking to rebuild following a dramatic change, it also proved to be a blessing in disguise.
“I guess it ended up being a lot more collaborative between the three of us,” Sean notes of their fifth studio record, Enjoy The View. Unable to meet in person, the album began to take shape across countless files bouncing back and forth between their respective Edinburgh homes. As well as providing the space to think more broadly about their own roles in the band, isolation also allowed them to approach their collective sound in new ways.
