If you were at the Troubadour on Wednesday night, you were greeted by a very (very) big portrait. And of whom? None other than the fantastic indie act, Alex Lahey. “It feels like I’m trying to sell you something,” joked Lahey midway through her set. All jokes aside, I’m sold.
Hailing from Australia, Alex Lahey first came to us with her catchy pop-driven EP “B-Grade University.” Soon after, she caught the attention of fans and critics alike, all swooned by her charm, wit, and guitar picking. Lahey released her full-length debut “Love You Like a Brother” and much like her EP, it dealt with the struggles of navigating relationships, whether it be learning to coexist, learning to manage without them, or plainly, enjoying your time with someone. Lahey has a unique perspective on love. She sings about topics that seem to be nearly sucked dry, like breaking up, going out, ya know, young people things, but she turns them into powerful, ass-kicking indie pop songs. It’s an album for the millennials struggling to function in modern day romance and it’s an album for parents who’ve made it out alive. While she is self-deprecating at times, Lahey never fits the “sad girl” niche that a lot of singer-songwriters gravitate to. Her work is more a reflection of knowing herself and being ok with making mistakes because hell, we’re young. Life will go on.
It’s an album for the millennials struggling to function in modern day romance and it’s an album for parents who’ve made it out alive.
Lahey appropriately opened her set with “I Love You Like a Brother,” and within the first minute I embarrassingly thought “Oh, she’s ripping?” How I could have thought otherwise, I’m not sure. On Lahey’s album, her voice is solid, but not exceptional so I wasn’t sure what to expect live. Especially with her being an alternative act because I think we’ve all seen a few alternative acts who can just barely get by with live vocal. However Lahey seemingly effortlessly nailed each and every song, and while I want to spare you from music journalism cliches, I won’t; she’s just better live.
She ripped through each song in an unhurried, in-the-moment manner and the audience mirrored the same attitude back. It was the type of show where you leave everything at the door; aside from positive energy and your best friends of course. From the heartwarming “Wes Anderson,” a song about every day being her lucky day when she’s with her partner, to her cover of “Complicated” (yes, the 2002 teen angst-filled Avril Lavigne banger), the crowd was right there with her. Lahey is a fantastic reminder that emotive independent music doesn’t need to be so serious to still make an impact. Independent music can be just as fun as popular music with all of the catchy hooks to match and Alex Lahey is proof.
For more from Alex Lahey head to her website.