Psymon Spine hails from NYC and traffics in the kind of basement dance-party indie rock pioneered by bands like LCD Soundsystem and the sounds familiar to the DFA label. OK, those bands didn't "pioneer" dance rock, but they did come up with an equation that was so appealing it's not surprising younger bands have just imbibed those sounds as part of their DNA.
Psymon Spine's proper full-length debut, Charismatic Megafauna, was released in 2021, a year when anything intelligently upbeat was a welcome respite form the horrors of the "real world," and it quickly became one of my favorite releases of that year. When I originally wrote about on Charismatic Megafauna in 2021 I said:
you on a very particular journey. Lots of wobbly synths paired with steady rhythms initially dominate the music, but this ain't easy listening. They're just buttering you up and getting you comfortable so that when the dance party kicks in, your limbs are all relaxed jelly and ready to go with the beat. It's like a sunny autumnal mood slowly giving way to a hot summer night party, and you are ALL IN.
Since then the group has released a remix album based on songs off Charismatic Megafauna and just recently debuted a brand new single, "Boys," that portents even better things are coming from the band on the horizon.
While a band like this is terrific for headphone or living-room dance parties, it's meant to be experienced live, and tonight Chicago finally has a chance to check Psymon Spine out. The band will play tonight at Color Club Tavern—a new venue / event space in Irving Park, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what Psymon Spine is capable of. Don't miss your chance to discover your next new favorite band—it may be a Monday, but this group seems to very rarely tour and this may be your only chance to catch them for quite a while!
Color Club is at 4146 N Elston, and the show begins at 8 p.m. tonight, October 16.