By Christopher David<\/p>\n
Canadian indie-darlings Alvvays brought their hook-drenched pop to a sold-out Metro crowd this Friday, proving once again that the spirit of the \u201890s is alive and well in a new generation of bands.<\/p>\n
Opening with a salvo of hallmark tracks from their 2014 debut and last year\u2019s sophomore release Antisocialites<\/em>, vocalist\/guitarist Molly Rankin led the quartet through a set heavy on upbeat, bounce-worthy cuts (new single \u201cPlimsoll Punks\u201d and \u201cSaved by a Waif\u201d among the standouts), and what the band lacked in stage presence (a dark lit stage with very little movement called to mind more of a shoegaze attitude than the ultra-poppy melodies suggested), they made up for in a near-perfect reproduction of their studio sound. Unsurprising, since the band\u2019s records are tightly produced, economical affairs that focus on Songs with a capital \u2019S\u2019 – by the time the band made it to \u201cArchie, Marry Me,\u201d their ubiquitous debut single, it remained another highlight in a series of equally hooky tunes. Rankin\u2019s vocal style\u2014as well as the simple, lilting arrangements\u2014called to mind such greats as The Sundays and The Primitives, bands who relied on the power of etherial vocals and haunting major-chord melodies.<\/p>\n The years between Alvvays<\/em> and Antisocialites<\/em> were clearly a period of major growth for the band – and it\u2019s fair to guess that, if that progression continues, the band\u2019s third album will be one to reckon with.<\/p>\n For more on Alvvays, click here<\/a><\/p>\n