R&B is having a bit of a resurgence over the last few years with up and comers like Khalid, SZA, Daniel Caesar, starRo, Sampha and of course breakout stars like Majid Jordan, Gallant, and Frank Ocean all delivering a wide range of heart-melting music. Gone are the 90s golden era artists like Boys II Men, Sade, and KC & JoJo so slow jam fans' have been left seeking some new auditory bliss for their ears and this new era is exactly what the love doctor ordered. Enter Sonder, one of the most uniquely fresh and neoteric groups to hit the scene since…ever. Comprised of lead-singer Brent Faiyaz, keyboardist Atu, and producer Dpat on bass, Sonder deliver a sui generis performance unlike any of their contemporaries. From their signature yellow logo and their beautiful use of visceral background visuals to their new wave light projections that reflect off the guys during the performance it's obvious they care just as much about their visual identity as their sonic personality. While many acts today focus on a single vocalist who performs with a bunch of hired guns, Sonder embodies more of the rocker mentality and puts the music in the foreground with no member being necessarily more important than the next. The payoff of all their moving parts is likened to that of a finely tuned Rolex.
Last night, after an eleven date nation-wide tour, Sonder returned to their hometown of LA to put on an immaculate high-energy display that had many of their friends and family in attendance at the Teragram Ballroom. Faiyaz had the crowd hanging on every lyric, every falsetto, and flirted with the crowd throughout the entire set who ate up every second of it. One thing that really stood out to me when listening to their songs at home was their knack for subversive guitar melodies. Getting to experience this first hand was a treat as they employed an added level of duality using both acoustic and electric guitars depending on what each record called for. From the moment they opened with "Feel" to the moment they closed out with crowd-favorite "Too Fast" it was obvious they had everyone by the balls. The guys even paid homage to 90s R&B by doing a cover of Jodeci's "Feenin" that was very well received and clearly laid the connection from their formative era to their music today. Look out for new music from Sonder and front-man Brent Faiyaz coming at you very soon.
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