The U.S. Girls show at the El Rey was one filled with deceiving vocals, intricate instrumentals, gloomy lyrics and mind-bending performances from lead singer Meghan Remy and the rest of the musicians in the band. The electro pop group, led by Remy, explored their performative art side, in addition to their musicianship and put on a show that pulled out intricacies in life and wrapped them all up in experimental pop.

She played mostly from her critically acclaimed In a Poem Unlimited, released earlier this year and sowed her performance with pre-taped spoken word, choreography and stimulating light shows. She began the performance with “Velvet 4 Sale,” a breathy and ethereal song where Remy sings over percussive drums in her childlike, but intoxicating vocals. The third song, “M.A.H.” opened with a prerecording of a voice desperately imploring listeners to take part and throw themselves upon the gears and wheels before Remy comes in singing, “Started out as a local love, nothing really physical.” It is a song filled with anger and questions and the listener feels and understands this when Remy sings out, “As if you couldn’t tell, I’m mad as hell/ I won’t forget, so why should I forgive?”

“The Island Song” combines unusual instrumental textures with dark, liquidy lyrics that blend together and make it feel as if the listener is caught in this marshy substance. “Navy & Cream” and “Sororal Feelings,” both from Half Free, are overflowing with dreamy and echoing guitars and drums weighed down with gloomy and mildly sinister lyrics. The songs are filled with a sense of dread, but Remy tricks the listener with her vocals until they are fully enmeshed in this somber world. She ended with “Time,” a ten minute long song where the musicians got to explore long, noisy solos where both band and audience members sat absolutely absorbed in the music. For the encore, Remy departed from her booming main set and closed with an acoustic version of “Poem” and sent the audience out on a melancholic note.

Setlist:

Velvet 4 Sale

Rage of Plastics

M.A.H.

Rosebud

L-Over

The Island Song

28 Days

Navy & Cream

Window Shades

Sororal Feelings

I’ll Never Learn

Pearly Gates

Time

Encore:

Poem