Let's Eat Grandma @ U Street Music Hall - 9/13/2018
Let’s Eat Grandma at U Street Music Hall (Photo by Mauricio Castro / @themauricio)
There's something exciting about Let's Eat Grandma, and it's not just their name. The two childhood friends that make up the UK synth-pop duo, Rosa Walton and Jenny Hollingworth, aren’t even 20 years old yet, but they've been able to take their sophomore album I'm All Ears to musical heights far beyond their debut, I, Gemini. The production from the likes of David Wrench (The xx, Frank Ocean) and SOPHIE (one of PC Music’s most influential tastemakers) deserves credit, but their voices and captivating storytelling of being a teenager in our overly-connected world is as big a draw as ever.
Though their sophomore album gave fans a lot to love with their unique synth-pop sound, it was disappointing to see their live show not reach the same emotional high points that the record did. Walton and Hollingworth undoubtedly demonstrated their musical chops on a multitude of instruments, including keys, guitar, saxophone, and even the recorder (a rarity in live music...or really, anything not played at an elementary school). Sparse songs like “Cool and Collected” were a treat to hear live, but the move to more expansive production values on their sophomore album didn't translate all that well on stage at times. SOPHIE’s futuristic, industrial pop production on "Hot Pink" felt neutered, as did album highlight “Donnie Darko.” Maybe it was the mixing of the pre-recorded tracks. Maybe it was the lack of band members to replicate their intricate soundscapes (they only had a drummer accompanying them on stage). Whatever it is, it should hopefully be a minor bump in their still-nascent journey. They’ve carved a great musical niche for themselves - they just need to nail the live aspect next.
I’m All Ears is out now through Transgressive Records / [PIAS].
Opening for Let’s Eat Grandma was DC-by-way-of-NYC artist Odetta Hartman. Her two-person setup was captivating to watch as she switched between guitar, violin, and banjo, while her percussionist banged on trash cans and used a bubble gun at one point too. Her melding of modern genres with traditional Appalachian folk isn’t something many people will go out of their way to hear, but one listen to Hartman’s performance, and they’ll immediately realize that they’ve never heard anyone like her before. Her latest release Old Rockhounds Never Die is out now through Northern Spy.
