19-year-old shoegaze artist Wisp graced The Sinclair with her ethereal vocals and grunge sound April 27, leaving the crowd mesmerized.
From releasing her first EP “Pandora” just weeks before on April 5 to the start of her U.S. tour and being named the supporting act for popular music group Pachinko’s upcoming tour, Wisp is quickly gaining a cult following with her intriguing blend of dream pop and shoegaze.
With influences from her personal favorite band, Whirr, she represents the face of the shoegaze revival through atmospheric tracks filled with waves of distortion.
“Pandora” set the stage for her performance as she gently guided the crowd with the sound of shimmering strings. Her breathy vocals fused with heavy guitar instantly entranced the audience, eliciting praise.
Although Wisp is new to touring, she was quickly able to foster a connection with her fans, making sure to ask if the audience was having fun in between songs to create an intimate environment.
The performance included singles released last year, “Tangled Dreams” and “See you soon”, both encapsulating the emotional depth within her music. The drowning guitar and lush wall of sound set the tone for her lyrics about the feelings of entrapment and longing in unrequited love.
A wave of cheering and shouting ran through the pit after the singer asked if the audience wanted to hear some songs off her new EP. Wisp followed with “Mimi” and “Luna”, a song saturated with hazy synths that highlighted the singer’s angelic voice.
“Once then we’ll be free” provided a pleasant change of pace for the enthusiastic crowd as they truly came alive, shouting the lyrics and moshing. While the fiery guitar riffs energized audience members of all ages, it was evident that Wisp herself gained confidence onstage as she let loose after taking a break from playing her Hello Kitty guitar.
Wisp captivated the crowd as she moved freely to the punchy drum beats while perfectly communicating her lyrics about the dark feelings of emptiness that causes one to hold back from expressing love.
Before introducing the final song of the night, “Your Face,” which jump-started her music career, Wisp thanked the audience for coming out to support her.
“Thank you, guys, for being such an energetic crowd, I hope you all had fun tonight,” Wisp said. “Here’s the last one, I’m sure you all know it.”
“Your Face” was the perfect closing track to the show as it embodied her unique sound. The soaring guitar riffs, moody vocals and crashing waves of drums swirled together, creating an all-consuming wall of sound that left the devoted crowd wanting more.
