Celebrating their new single and album releases
By Meg Keough and Leif Holmström
On Jan. 11, friends and fans gathered at The Tavern’s house show to celebrate the release of The Housing Crisis’s new single, “Astral Apartment”, and their debut album, “Astral Apartments”, which was released on Jan. 23.
Upon entering The Tavern, concert goers were welcomed into the living room where instruments and speakers were set up at the front. Rows of people sat criss-crossed on carpets and blankets laid across the floor, almost reminiscent of kindergarten storytimes told through song.
“We want to give musicians a space where they can flex their singer-songwriter vibes with acoustics and really quiet listening audiences,” said The Tavern’s co-manager, The Piccadillies’ front-person and The Late Night Losers’ interim bassist Clay Dixon.
Dylan O’Bryan of The Housing Crisis opened the show with a set of previously released songs and the newly released “Astral Apartment.” Equipped with just an acoustic guitar and his raw vocals, O’Bryan conveyed the space-age feeling of the single and other songs off “Astral Apartments” with lofi renditions.
“This single is not one I would normally perform live because it’s electronically produced, so it was cool to get to showcase the stripped-down version of that song more,” said O’Bryan. “It allowed people to hear the storytelling aspects of my music more.”
O’Bryan also tended to his 4-track cassette tape to record the sets of the night. O’Bryan’s affinity for exploring different sounds had gravitated him towards tape recording and the unique impurities within the saturation of tape. Being able to listen to the performances on a cassette tape provides something tangible to commemorate the house show’s experience.
Following The Housing Crisis was The Late Night Losers with a laidback indie set. Lead singer Thomas Allain likened playing at The Tavern to being the guy with a guitar at a party – except for the fact that O’Bryan and The Tavern welcomed him and The Late Night Losers’s smooth sounds for that very purpose. Closing the night on a high note, Confession Kids encouraged the crowd to stand up and jump around to match the half-folk, half-punk rhythms of their music.
On Jan. 21, The Tavern hosted another house show featuring sets from The Housing Crisis, The Piccadillies and Trevor and the Travelers celebrating The Housing Crisis’s debut album, “Astral Apartments'' that was released on Jan. 23. Organizing house shows for releases of new singles and albums encourages the celebration of music made by artists, including The Housing Crisis, that are integral to Gainesville's music community.
“Astral Apartments'' continues the incorporation of whimsical sounds within the indie genre. Songs like “Every Day (There’s A New Day Coming)” and “Into the Headrush Dream” play with shimmering synths that form celestial sounding melodies and build upon themes of imagining life beyond the present.
Indie folk influences are also prevalent, like in “Wednesday & the Milky Way”, with the inclusion of acoustic guitar and harmonica blended with O’Bryan’s soulful vocals.
The combination of these influences fused with stories about envisioning better days and future outlooks creates a dreamlike, ethereal state that transcends above a typical listening experience.
Celebrating The Housing Crisis’s single and album releases at The Tavern’s house shows shines a light on the Gainesville music scene’s sense of community and appreciation for local music.
“You can tell [O’Bryan] is having a good time with this new album and that he’s put a lot of his effort into it and that has a lot of depth and feeling,” said O’Bryan’s friend and audience member Chrys Woehler.
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