Quarters of Change rocked Allston’s Brighton Music Hall with electric songs off their debut album “Into The Rift” on Feb. 24.
The group is a modern rock-alternative band from New York City who is known for their song “T Love” with over four million streams. The crowd could sense the band’s eagerness to perform as Boston was their third stop on their mostly sold-out North American headlining tour including 21 cities.
The group started as a high school band, but it was not until 2017 that Quarters of Change became official. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the group of four found themselves exploring their creative abilities and unique sound after dropping out of college to pursue their music careers full-time.
Late Night Drive Home, an indie rock band from El Paso, Texas, opened the show with a guitar-heavy rock set that jump started the night of head-banging and ultimately filled the crowd with the energy needed for the main set. They played songs such as “Stress Relief” and “Awkward Conversations” from their 2022 album, “How Are We Feeling?” and the 2021 EP, “Am I Sinking or Am I Swimming?”
The performance set the tone for the show through their songs about teenage love and heartbreak, complemented by slow melodies and electrifying guitar riffs.
Quarters of Change opened with “Jaded” off their latest album, which hurled the crowd into screaming an alluring chorus, with lyrics about heartbreak alongside lead vocalist Ben Roter.
From the beginning of the set, the college-aged crowd matched the energy of the band as they sang along and danced to every song, relating to the lyrics about young love while grooving to the drum beats. Roter brought an eccentric performance with his vocals as shown by his commitment to each note with his soft and irresistible voice, allowing the audience to grasp the emotion of his lyrics.
Roter moved with confidence around the stage, as if it was almost too small for his level of energy, by jumping around with his bandmates, leaving the crowd eager to dance right along with him as he demonstrated his enthusiasm for the music.
The emotional song “To Let Go” eased the crowd as Roter was vulnerable enough to share that the song was about his late father. The audience was able to fully appreciate Roter’s lyricism as he used his whole body to express the feeling of finding peace in letting go of someone you love.
The songs “T Love” and “Kiwi,” were both crowd favorites that defined the band’s classic rock sound, and highlighted the talented guitarists Jasper Harris and Ben Acker. The crowd was mesmerized by the riffs of both songs and aggressively sang every word to the lyrics that outlined the emotions one feels when chasing after love.
After leaving the crowd chanting for an encore, the band returned to perform “Sofia” and “Rift,” both perfect songs to close with.
To introduce “Rift,” Roter said, “Do you guys still got energy because I’m gonna need you to use it all for this last song.” A wave of clapping, shouting and head-banging followed as the guitar-centered masterpiece began. Harris captured the attention of the audience one last time as he stood at center stage. Admiring the brilliant chord progression throughout the last five minutes of the show, the crowd was granted a strong sense of intimacy that left them craving more.
The band members carried a great presence off the stage as they were kind enough to chat and take pictures with some fans after the show, thanking them for waiting outside on such a cold night.
Quarters of Change brought a fresh and irresistible energy to the stage and were aware of the effect they had on the adoring crowd. The audience could feel their passion for their music as they looked like they were having fun just jamming out together as a group of friends. As their fan base continues to grow with each new release, there is no doubt that they will be launched into the forefront of alternative rock.
Follow Cassidy on Twitter @cassidyybeek
