Real Estate @ Royale 10/11

Photography by Miguel Gonzales

Review by Samantha Gamero

Warm, simmering feelings of nostalgia from a decade I was too young to remember filled the artificial cold air at Royale on the night of October 11th. Real Estate played their final show of their 11th anniversary tour, celebrating their acclaimed record, “Atlas.”

“Atlas,” released in 2014, is an ode to this New Jersey band’s timeless, simple, yet uplifting melodic sound. I can hear the sounds of suburbia chime throughout this record as they yearn for “something more.” Ranked No. 14 in best new albums by Pitchfork, “Atlas” blends upbeat chords and a tempo that makes you sway your head side to side over perplexing lyrics and reflective narratives.  

“Today is gonna be a light one,” said a security guard checking people in at the Royale. There were only a few groups of people dispersed across the venue, which frequently hosts DJ events. And while yes, in comparison to nightclub-esque shows, Saturday’s lineup was composed of two quieter indie rock artists, who put on a show filled with beautiful noise that quickly filled the space.

The energy of the crowd was mellow on this cold Saturday night, with the opening act, Trace Mountains, scheduled to play at 6:30 and Real Estate at 7:45. Trace Mountains came on promptly to play in front of a small crowd of no more than 30 people. The band, a “musical project” of artist Dave Benton, all hailing from New York, had no time to waste. They played their nice but droningly stale-sounding songs. I fell into a trance to the repetitive melodies echoing in the air, and soon enough, their set was over. We got a few words from the frontman, but not much else.

The crowd grew in size and was amped for Real Estate. We were welcomed by the charismatic bassist Alex Bleeker and lead vocalist Martin Courtney, who thanked the crowd for coming as they shared chuckles with each other. They were happy to be closing out their tour of a record that brought them immense attention. They opened with “Paper Cups,” a song that features North Carolina duo Sylvan Esso.

They played a few more songs not on “Atlas,” including “Water Underground,” a track with acoustic guitar and a borderline folk melody. These songs were a perfect introduction to “Atlas,” showcasing some of Real Estate’s newer work and the direction of their sound since 2014. “Out of tune,” someone in the crowd shouted repeatedly in between songs, and even more loudly before “Atlas.” The band said nothing and continued to play their set, a testament that one harsh critic does not define who they are as a band. The iconic guitar chords of “Had to Hear” began to play, and the crowd shouted in excitement, much to the dismay of that one disappointed person in the crowd.

The record was played in order, and of course, the following song was “Past Lives.” When paying close attention to the lyrics, “Past Lives” unmasks the band’s musical declaration of growth: “I cannot come back to this neighborhood, without feeling my own age.” Their “Past Lives” in their earlier records, “Real Estate” and “Days,” had garnered them attention in the music industry, but five years after the release of their self-titled album, the band was ready to mature their sound. With “Atlas,” the band moved forward, embarking on a new journey, possibly one away from the comfort of their New Jersey home.

 

They continued to play the album beautifully, seamlessly switching guitars and tuning their instruments, interacting with the audience here and there. The crowd was a mix of young college students, couples, and  older, eclectic fans — some of whom even saw the album release show of “Atlas.”

A notable song from the album that is often overlooked is “April’s Song,” the album’s only instrumental piece with quirky, fuzzy guitar pedals. The band really let loose with the guitar riffs and let the music guide them, in a Yo La Tengo, Ira Kaplan style performance. 

The record ended with “Navigator,” a curious melody that summed up the record to an iconic lyric, “I’ve no idea where the day’s been.” The band was at the end of their reflective journey, and did they reach a conclusion? Not exactly, but I think that’s the point. Time passes, we lose track of time, but in the end, that is okay. 

For me, the highlight of the show was the last song of the encore, “It’s Real,” from their record “Days.” The crowd came alive, everyone was singing along to the “oh whoa whoa oh oh’s” that comprised most of the song. It was beautiful, a moment of collective community and therapeutic shouting leading up to the title of the song, “It’s Real.” What was real? What was real to the band? What was real to everyone in the crowd? Does it really matter? This closing song was the perfect choice, as I’m sure it left a lingering yearning to communicate, exclaim, loudly declare that whatever, whoever,  is real.