Electric Guest @ The Sinclair 2/5
Photography & Review by Cooper Formica
It’s as if it’s 2016 again!
And 2012 and 2017 and 2020 and 2022 and also 2026 and god knows what other years. This is probably the best way to describe seeing the indie pop duo, Electric Guest, perform at the Sinclair for the first time in over five years.
As fans trickled into The Sinclair in Cambridge on February 5th, feelings of intrigue spread throughout the venue as hopeful fans attempted to figure out what to expect from the 2010s indie-pop royalty, who had just months earlier reemerged from a half-decade hiatus.
Shortly after the most charismatic act in all of music, SNACKTIME, finished their opening set with a funk and jazz cover of “Teenage Dirtbag,” the most anticipated question of the evening loomed over the venue: What will Electric Guest play?
It’s a question that seems simple for most bands. However, for Electric Guest, a band with an abrupt ascent to stardom, a prolonged hiatus, and an even more abrupt reboot, it’s a question with an unclear answer.
After forming in 2011, Electric Guest was quick to find commercial success with their first studio album “Mondo.” Within a series of months the group went from thinking about forming a band to having an album chart at the top 50 in both the U.S. and U.K. In the years that followed, the success grew into multiple global tours, late night appearances, and a popular follow-up single, “Dear To Me,” releasing in 2016.
The following year, Electric Guest’s sophomore album, “Plural,” faced slower commercial success. Despite featuring their second most streamed song, “Oh Devil,” the album failed to chart outside the U.S. and the tour was cut back to only 40 domestic shows.
At this point, the group started to move in different directions. Lead vocalist Asa Taccone found success in writing the Grammy-winning “Feel It Still” with Portugal. The Man.
By 2019, popularity for the group had seemingly dried up as their third studio album “KIN” failed to chart and the following 2020 tour, pre-pandemic, was condensed to 15 shows at smaller venues.
Shortly after the “KIN Tour”, the group went into a deep hiatus with no new music or touring announcements in the following years. This is a period that Asa Taccone was very reflective on in our WTBU interview prior to their performance at The Sinclair.
After five years of complete radio silence, the band abruptly reemerged this October to announce a tour in support of their new, fully independent album “10K.”
Even though most fans likely remember Electric Guest for the commercial hits they made at the height of their popularity in the mid 2010s, it was not clear what direction the band wanted to go in with the “10K Tour.” Was this going to be a complete reboot or a recollection of the band’s success from the 2010s?
From the second the band took the stage, after a man in a bear costume concluded an oddly touching monologue on the troubled state of the world, it was clear that the performance would be a blend of both.
Rather than capitalize on nostalgia or bury the past, Taccone and Electric Guest seemed more interested in remaining as present and transparent with their fans as possible. To this end, they played a mixture of newer releases and some of their older classics.
Throughout the show, Taccone took several moments to reflect on the burnout the group faced during the months prior to the pandemic. He even touched on their last performance at The Sinclair and the transition they made during their hiatus.
Despite their eagerness to allude to upcoming projects, Taccone and Electric Guest seemed most ecstatic to appreciate the audience and fans that had supported them. Taccone went as far to shout out a couple that had gotten engaged to his music and throw roses to the audience to show his appreciation.
As Taccone closed out the show with both older and newer songs, it was clear that Electric Guest wasn’t trying to live in the past but appreciate the present while dreaming of something better for the future.
