Dopamine was clearly flowing through the audience’s synapses during BØRNS’ performance at The Crocodile on Nov. 18.
The boisterous young crowd filled the venue with free energy as Avid Dancer opened for BØRNS. Indie, pop, and rock music tickled the feet of the audience, creating an impossible-to-resist movement throughout the house.
The surf-rock musical style, sloshy cymbals, and ambient vocals were uniquely paired qualities Avid Dancer possessed throughout the performance. The group was like Tame Impala meeting Real Estate meeting The Black Keys. Rock ‘n’ roll style drums and chilled out vocals ensued throughout the group’s set. The funk factor was definitely real, but was only a warm up for what came next.
Garrett Borns entered the stage wearing a black leather jacket, walking to the strong groove the rest of the band was already playing. The first dreamy lyrics he sang filled the sold-out venue with awe and amazement.
The band’s aura seduced the audience as it became increasingly clear that the live set was unquestionably more authentic than the recorded album. The pop sound heard on the album was not invisible at the live show, just masked by strong rock-based instrumentals. Vividly piercing the ears of listeners, every single lyric and sound felt entirely intentional. There were no mistakes throughout the entire night.
This became especially apparent as Borns picked up his red electric guitar and slung it over his shoulder, preparing the band to jam hard to my favorite song from the group’s debut (and only) album, “Dopamine,” which was recently released in October. This song was “10,000 Emerald Pools.”
The manipulation of Borns’ voice on this song was woven like malleable wire, extending from his mouth through the microphone, to the ears of each person grooving on the floor to his wonderful falsetto voice. This outcome was entirely hypnotizing, and I was suddenly transported from my standing location in The Crocodile; the lyrics were purposefully muted to create an echoey, blurry sound.
Despite dragging the audience underwater with their sound, the band never let the audience drown in the dazed atmosphere they created. Like floating in an underwater kingdom, the band was the royalty, and the audience members the contented and devoted subjects, listening and loving admiringly.
Even one step further than royalty, Borns became almost a religious figure on stage. Every once in a while he would speak with his husky, raspy voice and melt the hearts of every audience member with his sly coolness.
There were moments during the show when I felt as if I were looking up to a godly being; ironically, this thought popped into my mind as he was singing the lyrics, “Immaculate creation / Overnight sensation / God you really outdid yourself with this one,” from their song, “Overnight sensation.”
Throughout the entire show, I noticed a strong 1970s influence in both the band’s music as well as its outward appearance. Made clear by its whammy bar usage on the guitar solos, and its thrift-shop chic clothing, BØRNS’ funky vibes combined with a new electronic-indie-pop sound gave the band a performance space entirely unique unto themselves.
The verdict: See BØRNS, love BØRNS, be BØRNS.
Reach writer Rebecca Gross at arts@dailyuw.com. Twitter: @becsgross
