Lowertown @ The Sinclair 4/29
Photography by Sol Kim
Review by Marcus Ollier
Lowertown released their first EP,“Friends,” in 2019, when Olivia Osby and Avsha Weinberg were still in high school in Atlanta. Since then, they’ve moved to New York and released a number of projects, both as a duo and as solo artists. Friendship has always been the fuel behind their music, and it’s easy to see how close Olivia and Avsha are when they play on stage. A Lowertown show is like watching two best friends have a conversation with each other, but the inside jokes are guitar solos, and the callbacks are drum fills. Nothing is forced, and every song is built on years of shared memories.
Lowertown returned to Cambridge as a part of their Ugly Duckling Union Tour to play in The Sinclair on April 29th, 2026. They played in a different Cambridge venue almost one year ago, exactly on April 30th, featuring a few new songs, but mostly the classics. This time, their focus was on their new album.
Lowertown’s upcoming album, Ugly Duckling Union, was the real star of the show. They’ve taken a conceptual approach to this project, focusing on a duckling named Dale who goes on a journey to discover his self-confidence and individuality. Dale made an appearance at the concert in the form of a near-human-sized plush duck who sat next to the drumset. Lowertown played six songs from the new album, including the three singles that they’ve been putting out since February. Avsha and Olivia are clearly eager to get U.D.U. out into the world, as they encouraged fans to buy the vinyl at the merch table. They made it seem like a rebellious act, a shared secret between them and the fans who get to play the vinyl a month before the album is officially released on May 22nd. By coming to their concerts and listening to their music, the fans become a part of the Ugly Duckling Union.
Avsha and Olivia’s solo work shone in bits and pieces throughout the show. When Avsha first walked out on stage, he played a riff from a bandcamp song called Pregnant that he released in 2024, promising a mellow and potentially acoustic-focused set. The song ended, Olivia walked onto the stage, and the energy shifted. Avsha traded his acoustic for an electric, and they played “Worst Friend”, a moody and occasionally hilarious rock song from their upcoming album. “I’m your worst friend, but it’s not my fault/‘Cause I was raised by a witch that I call my mom.” The crowd was familiar with the lyrics, screaming during the chorus and cementing the song as a future classic in their discography.
Bandcamp and YouTube riffs continued to pop up throughout the show, especially during act breaks. The concert was broken up into three acts, with around four songs in each act, spanning across years of albums and EPs. In between acts, the lights dimmed, and Avsha and Olivia stood back to take a breath. During the first act-break, a recording played through the speakers featuring an acoustic guitar instrumental found on Avsha’s YouTube channel and a poem by Olivia that felt like looking back at a childhood memory through the empty eyes of an adult. The soundscape was a reminder of the quiet melancholy that is always present in their music, but doesn’t get as much of a chance to shine in their heavier live shows.
In between songs, Olivia asked the crowd to get louder and to move around as much as they could. The songs that got the most kinetic responses were “Scum” and “Bucktooth”, both from their previous album “I Love to Lie.” Their familiarity, along with their aggressive sound, allowed for the crowd to jump, dance, and mosh. The energy flowed both ways as Avsha and Olivia danced around on stage, twirling their guitars, kicking over mic stands, and nearly dipping into the crowd. During the song “Dipshit” off of their new album, Olivia yelled “you’re such a dipshit” over and over while hitting a cowbell to accompany the incredibly loud drums. I didn’t know the lyrics beforehand, but now “you’re such a dipshit” won’t leave my brain.
The cowbell wasn’t the only surprise of the night. During “Big Thumb,” a single off of the new album, Olivia played a harmonica while Avsha brought back out his acoustic guitar. The harmonica was small, but incredibly mighty, and got a big thumbs up from everybody in The Sinclair.
Lowertown ended the set with their fan-favorite song “Best Person You Know.” Everyone sang along, satisfied at the nostalgic conclusion to a night full of new songs. Avsha and Olivia walked off stage, but returned a few minutes later to officially close the night with “The Gaping Mouth,” an emotionally charged and bittersweet song that they released in 2021. Apart from the opening Avsha solo instrumental, it was the only song of the night not to feature drums or bass. At one point during the song, Olivia put her head on Avsha’s shoulder, later telling the crowd she got emotional. It’s hard not to get emotional watching two best friends play a song they wrote together five years and as many albums ago. Friendship persists, despite all of life’s changes. Lowertown persists with it.