Concert review: Eternal Summers at Insound Office

After venturing through a Greenpoint revamped factory like building, a huge metallic door swung open before me, revealing a blast of Eternal Summer’s intense rock. The reason for the trio’s playing in the Insound record label office – the walls of which are plastered with vivid album covers and posters – is because the band’s LP was cool enough to be a staff pic at Insound records – basist Jonathan tells me. That distinction is a good hint at how punchy and ear-catching Eternal Summers’ music is. There was something irresistibly rock and roll about this crazy capillary trio : Nicole’s jet black bob bounced around as she belted out the lyrics into the mic, strumming her distorted electric guitar, while Daniel dexterously rumbled on the drums with long strands of hair jumping to the beat, and Jonathan got his own locks swaying to the low energetic rhythm of his base guitar. They mostly played songs from their last album Correct Behavior, namely “Wonder”, “You Kill” and “Millions” although we also got a sneak peek at three new tracks : “Power”, “Gouge” and “White”. These previews are harbingers of yet another intense rock album to come.

It’s noteworthy how much the style of Eternal Summers’ music changes from studio to live : although the LP does feature very distorted droning guitars, they’re much more aerial than they are live, where they morph into true rock electric guitars, bordering hard rock. Similarly, Nicole’s voice rings out very clearly in the studio version of “Heaven & Hell” whereas in the live version – appart from seeming slightly off key at times – the lead vocals merge with the instrumental part of the track. However live, the band gains in energy and conveys an electric atmosphere- I was in presence of true performers.

This scenic presence can be accounted for by the band’s history: we’re dealing with a group of friends. Jonathan and Daniel have been working together for close to a decade (!) and the band started out as the duo comprised of Nicole and Daniel approximately three years ago before growing into the three star band we know of today about a year and a half ago. The band made its debut as the first part of the band-to-watch (according to Stereogum) Crocodiles, playing at festivals. They’ve just come back from a south-eastern coast tour and are headed out for more sonor adventures for the promotion of their 3rd LP, so we’re not worried for Eternal Summers’ permanence in the least – as Shakespeare’s sonnet depicts with so much more eloquence than my own words.

(…)

But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this and this gives life to thee.