It seems like just yesterday that The Rocket Summer’s debut full-length album Calendar Days was blasting from the open windows of your car, feeling all young and emotional–especially with the hit song “That’s So You.” But in actuality it’s been thirteen years since the release of that album (even though Bryce Avary had released a few EPs before that). The album was released in the heat of a serious emo scene, but found a way to stay afloat even after those trends changed with the times.
At times The Rocket Summer kind of feels like a blast to the past–that band you used to have playing on your MySpace page–but Avary’s music hasn’t really stopped since he first started out. His music has been all over the charts. He’s toured with some pretty major bands like the Goo Goo Dolls, The Format, and Third Eye Blind. And he’s played all over the world. So he isn’t really a blast from the past at all. He’s quite relevant.
The Rocket Summer has released albums basically every two to three years since then, his latest which was released last year called Zoetic. Clearly Avary hasn’t run out of things to write and sing about, as he continues to explore his indie, power-pop sound, which has found a new charged energy since the start of his career. In fact, it’s on this album that Avary has completely rediscovered himself (which he can also credit his move to California to, to start over, to find a new inspiration), and he actually sounds like a totally new artist, in a way. Listen to songs “Cold War” and “Same Air” and you’ll totally understand just how far The Rocket Summer has come. *This show is a 10th anniversary tour of Do You Feel. (OK, so maybe we’ll always be a little side-part nostalgic.)
Gramercy Theatre
8/3
7 p.m.
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