Brooklyn – Punk rock-electronica outfit Doldrums, led by Montreal-based artist Airick Woodhead, is fresh off the release of the follow-up to 2013’s debut Lesser Evil. The Air Conditioned Nightmare (on Sub Pop Records), shares a similarly sunny title which is in fact borrowed off a Henry Miller novel that references the cultural vacuum and dystopia the author found upon his return to the United States after a ten-year hiatus. Testing out the transmission of his new record in a live setting, Woodhead brought his brooding mix of contorted sounds to a late night headlining gig at Baby’s All Right on Saturday.
“What the fuck is matrimony anyway,” Woodhead muses mid-set during “Okay,” in tones more resigned than angry, conveying a lyric that seems especially prescient in 2015. Regardless of the political yet personal undertones within his album, Woodhead still manages to make playing the tracks of The Air Conditioned Nightmare fun. In “Hotfoot,” the first single off the LP, Woodhead articulates the fairly grim sentiments that “my best friends all see me drown, my best friends all talk about it” twisted up with a collusion of synths that almost demand dancing. In a way, Doldrums’ performance seems to demonstrate that although we might all be dying, we may as well celebrate that it’s happening.
Older tracks such as “Egypt” and “Jump Up” from 2013’s Lesser Evil do crop up during Doldrums’ set, offering gig-goers an insight into how the stories told through Woodhead’s music influence one another and converge together to create something greater, much like his knack for storytelling through unexpected beats. Supported by Moon King, Woodhead’s brother Daniel’s band that also accompanies Doldrums on stage, there’s the continued sense that this union of different sounds and directions is what makes Doldrums a special act to watch. The cliché that electronic music can be boring and repetitive couldn’t be farther from the truth in this instance. For example, in tracks such as second single from TACN, “My Friend Simjen,” there’s an undeniable anticipation of something weird and off-kilter happening that keeps the audience captivated and following the strange trail of noise Woodhead and the rest of the band orchestrate.
Baby’s All Right in Williamsburg, which has proven to be a staple venue for emerging talent, provides also the essential atmosphere and spotlight for Doldrums, who don’t take the stage until close to 2am. That convoluted late night ambiance, where things are on the precipice of getting a bit weird, is the perfect accompaniment to the band’s music. The audience is quite willing to allow Woodhead to lead the way in what feels both deliberately directionless yet building towards something bigger.
Doldrums end their set with “Closer 2 U,” which is also the final track of TACN, and whose tone is almost soothing in contrast with earlier bass-leaden tracks, with a larger dosage of Woodhead’s eerie and innate lyricism. As he croons “How can I be nostalgic for something I never had? I just want to grow out of control… I never thought I’d come to this” it’s a rapturous finale to a set that ends with the sort of confluence of cynicism and romance that keeps you coming back.
Click here for a list of tour dates as Doldrums continue their North American dates, and embark on a tour of the U.K. and Europe.
Ruby Hoffman
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