The Sun Will Rise and Lead Me Home. It’s the name of Gates’ debut EP from 2011–a collection of catchy indie emo-rock songs–followed by You Are All You Have Left to Fear in 2013. The band hails from New Brunswick, NJ–an area that’s more than familiar with emerging bands playing this kind of music. But Gates has proved that they belong, too, that they aren’t just a fluffy cool-for-now band. And when you listen to their latest full-length albums, with their instrument-focused tracks and their watery, melodic Copeland-esque vocals, you’ll begin to understand why this group of five is so different than the rest.
On Parallel Lives, their latest release from last year, the band seems to have simplified things–something ou can even tell at first glance of their song titles that are just one or two words long, like “Eyes” and “Shiver” and “Left Behind” compared to some of their more emotionally obvious titles like “At Last the Loneliest of Them” and “The Sound of Letting Go.”
Something must also be said of Gates’ lyrics. In the song “Fade” of their latest record, they sing “I want to live without aging. I want to swim in the fountain of our youth. But I know I’ll wane inside of you. I want to love you forever. I want to know like the always in your eyes. But I only know how to say goodbye.” They know how to hit hard with lyrics like that, singing songs that feel as though they’re written just for you. And isn’t that seriously the best feeling?
Knitting Factory
6/17
w/ Vasudeva, Head North
8 p.m.
$13
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