In November, Road Trip Playlists had the pleasure of hosting DWLLRS in our studio for a photo shoot and interview. I was already a fan of the rising alt-pop duo’s music, but the time in our studio only cemented that further. California-born friends Bren Eissman and Joey Spurgeon told me stories from their journey as high school acquaintances to now best friends making art together, signed to a major label, and touring the world. After the interview, I went to their first show in New York City at the intimate Brooklyn venue, Baby’s All Right. Following our time with them and an impressive set, I wrote that the duo is one of Alt-Pop’s rising stars.
Fast forward three months later, and Bren and Joey were back in New York supporting Claire Rosinkranz on her ‘Just Because’ tour. Again, I got to be there for their show. It’s been two weeks. I have written two reviews. Both have been incredibly positive. Both were deleted because I was worried that from the few hours, I spent with them in November that I wasn’t being objective. So I let the show sit with me and have replayed moments in my head, and the fact is they are just a really good and really likable band, and the praise was deserved.
One of the first things that I noticed from the DWLLRS performance in November to the show in February was the increased confidence that Bren and Joey had on stage. While they put on a really good show in November, you could tell it was their first tour. Now, in February, their live set was visibly elevated. The stage at Webster Hall was much larger, the audience was much bigger, and the performance from DWLLRS was equally impressive.
The DWLLRS set started with instant energy performing ‘Beauty Rains’ followed by ‘Iced Coffee,’ with the audience joining in harmonies with the band. It hit me how their show had grown from the small stage of Baby’s All Right to the now giant stage at Webster Hall and how Bren and Joey used the entire stage like a veteran touring band. I had to remind myself that these are two friends constantly reaching new heights and still early in their music journey. That realization set up perfectly the wholesome moment that followed ‘Iced Coffee.’
Bren greeted the fans after the song, sharing that New York is their favorite city and their visual excitement for the opportunity they had to perform for the Webster Hall crowd. There was a tender exchange that had Bren embrace Joey on stage as the beginning notes of ‘Dividends’ rang throughout the venue, and with his arm around Joey together, they sang the ooohs at the start of the song. It was a short moment, but a moment that felt much bigger. They were playing a song that is a tribute to love and growth (or dividends), which comes from facing one’s internal flaws, and you could feel both elements of growth for them as a band, as friends, and the trust they’ve had in each other along the way from college roommates to now a band on the brink of blowing up.
The song had it all, a Joey vocal solo that had screams echoing through the crowd, a dance interlude, and a chorus of oohs from the stage and the crowd. The song ended with Bren exclaiming that “I’ve always dreamed of singing in New York, and now it’s happening.” A small statement that confirmed the sentiment that was felt in the performance. It was evident we were witnessing a band living out the realization of their dreams as they were coming true but also realizing that it is just the start for the rising alt-pop artists.
It was only two songs later that the aptly-timed ‘End of it All’ was on tap for DWLLRS, and they sang out, “At the end of it all, I hope I lived it, a little different than just being alive,” and while the song alludes to the heartbreaks of life and the lessons that follow them, their show at Webster Hall felt like the triumph that follows life’s lows and like we witnessed dreams coming true.
Following that the crowd was transported to the California beach, they grew up near for a song with the beginning notes of ‘Blue Spirits’ and the free feelings that go along with that song.
The set ended with ‘Through The Ceiling,’ which is just where this band is going. They are rising stars likely to be a household name in the alt-pop world. Again, I took a step back and delayed the release of this review to stay objective, and the only real critique I have for DWLLRS is that their catalog of music is still growing as they release singles, and they’ve yet to release a full-length project at this time, but when they do, we will be there for a review. Right now, this feels like the band you’re early on, and it’s just a matter of time before they blow up, and they deserve it.
