Brooklyn – We’re in the heart of CMJ Music Marathon here in the city that never sleeps, and as up-and-coming musicians flock to the metropolis in droves, the volume of shows on deck is preposterous. So, to apply an imagined filter of intimacy to this massive and sprawling extravaganza, Best New Bands caught a quieter showcase on Tuesday night at Friends and Lovers. The Mast shared the bill with Stranger Cat, The Point and Psychic Twin, and the night unfurled with understated brilliance.
The Mast is a Brooklyn-based pair that resides in Park Slope and comes out of the woodwork at every occasion to dazzle audiences with their particular take on indie experimentalism. Think Sylvan Esso on ambien (in a really good way). The band is percussionist Matt Kilmer and vocalist/electric guitarist Haleh Gafori, and theirs is a sound that’s downright inventive, with enough electronica to sort of edge it into a genre.
The night unfurled at Friends and Lovers, a relatively new venue located on the periphery of Crown Heights. The neighborhood, and the venue, both seemingly take pride in their familial atmospheres. The venue in particular emulates an insider’s club vibe, by proxy of being off the beaten path. In fact, by nature of being situated in a remote and residential locale (depending on a typical New Yorker’s habitual coordinates), Tuesday night’s crowd was not numerous. Instead, and as an added bonus, it felt like a private showcase curated especially for a select set of friends and fans. Packed venue or not, The Mast performed with boundless energy and apparent satisfaction.
The show was brief, and largely leaned into cuts off The Mast’s most recent album, Pleasure Island, which came to light early this year. An evident standout of the evening was “UpUpUp,” easily one of this band’s biggest sonic achievements and the title track of their second LP.
As the band cycled through a handful of tracks, including “Raining Down,” “Nuclear Dragon” and “So Right,” fog from a smoke machine descended in heavy, billowy clouds. The mixture of electronic experimental sound waves cut through the hazy air and entrancing dancing onstage concocted a downright surrealist environment, and felt like the perfect compliment to the calmly dazzling showcase.
“Thank you all for being here,” Gafori said just before delivering the night’s closing track. “We’re actually playing another show very soon, on Halloween at The Chocolate Factory. I imagine it will be a bit more crowded than this evening. Not that it matters,” she added with a smile.
After the band got done performing, and while the smoke from the machines had yet to settle, Gafori generously gave Best New Bands a moment of her attention.
“I thought tonight went really well,” she reflected. “CMJ is just beginning. I haven’t even picked up my badge and I’m still not sure what bands I’m going to see! There’s so, so much happening.”
“But it was really cool to play tonight in Brooklyn,” she continued. “Tonight was a quieter show than most for us, but it was a lot of fun.”
The Mast had no major tour dates scheduled at the time of this writing, but that will likely change if the duo keeps swarming local stages at every turn.
Check back for more CMJ coverage to come as the festival gains momentum through to the weekend.
Liz Rowley
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