The Villettes

Monday night at the Mohawk offered an eclectic smattering of indie rock that culminated with Philadelphia-based quartet, A Sunny Day in Glasgow, who performed their dreamy yet abstruse signature pop sound for an attentive Austin audience. While the headliners were clearly the draw for most of the crowd, local openers Wildfires and even more so an all-female band called The Villettes quickly won over fans and turned heads with their performances.

Wildfires were on first and can be characterized as your prototypical indie rock sound with some singer-songwriter influence akin to Ty Segall, Kurt Vile, and the band Tennis. Wildfires is at its best when the synergy of their guitars begins to sound more like shoegaze rock, in a similar vein to the bands like Oshin and Wild Nothing.

The Villettes were on next with a set of complex and seemingly profound tunes. The band’s sound was as if the Dixie Chicks (like the DC there are two sisters in the band) had been deep fried in gospel music and seasoned with sprinkles of acid punk and grunge. Envision if the river sirens in O Brother Where Art Thou had stumbled upon some electronic instruments by accident and begun making music. The Villettes were captivating and far and away the highlight of the night, especially upon finding out that these gems are locally based and this wouldn’t be the last chance to see them live. Their final song “Across the Sea” in itself was enough to declare love for this feminine folk foursome.

A Sunny Day in Glasgow isn’t ashamed to layer their music with as many bells and whistles as they can find. Taking a note from My Bloody Valentine and Animal Collective, this band abides by no compass when composing music, and constantly lets their dream pop devolve into cacophony, only to be resuscitated later in the song. The disorder in their music can only be matched by that found in the band’s lineup, which has six past members and not one current member who was part of the original lineup. The band cheerfully created a spectacle onstage, occasionally stringing together a series of pop hooks like a series of arrows containing sound bytes, vocal snippets, and choruses. One refreshing attribute about A Sunny Day In Glasgow is their ability to find a comfortable sound yet avoid overdoing it in favor of continuing their genre-defying adventure. - The Horn

Go see the Villettes for two reasons: 1) the most beautiful harmonies you’ve ever heard live, and 2) a copious amounts of smile inducing, incredibly endearing giggling emanating from the stage. Having just added a drummer, the Villettes sounded more confident and complete than ever before. Built around the careful vocal harmonies of Courtney Howell and Katie Shepherd with support from Erin Howell, the songs have a high register, and the new drum parts serve to ground that aspect. Although their sound has been made more full, the songs came across no less gorgeous and delicate. The band is currently in the process of recording an EP with No Play Music, the label and promotion organization run by Jared Boulanger and Amarah Ulghani, core members of Austin mainstay The Sour Notes. Keep an ear out for these talented ladies and their new guy. - Pop Press International