Every now and then I get turned onto a band early on in their career. You know how it goes, right? You hear a single, or listen to their first album, and you just know that they have something special. You’re hooked, and ready for whatever it is they get up to.
After touring consistently in 2022 - including a months long run with the legendary La Dispute - Philly’s Sweet Pill hit the ground not just running, but sprinting, in 2023. As they wind down their tour with indie/math/emo/rock trio Their/They’re/There - including a lauded multi-day stint at SXSW - Sweet Pill are ready to step into the spotlight for a series of headlining shows, including their final date on this run at Madison Live on Thursday, March 23.
Cincinnati’s Lost Henry will be opening the show, debuting quite a few new tracks they’ve been working on over the past few months. They’ll be starting the night out with a bit of emo tinged pop-punk, which should lead in nicely to what Sweet Pill will have in store for us.
If you’ve not listened to Sweet Pill’s stunning debut, Where The Heart Is, out now on Topshelf Records, then you wouldn’t be familiar with their emotive, jangly, moderately aggressive take on emo, post hardcore, and math rock. Anchored by Zayna Youssef’s soaring, punchy vocals and off-kilter time signatures held down by drummer Chris Kearney and bassist Ryan Cullen, the bands dueling guitar work - courtesy Jayce Williams and Sean McCall - can flip from quiet noodly riffs to grungy shredding in an instant. It’s a vibrant, heady mixture that isn’t easily tied to any one scene, or any particular set of influences. They fit exactly where they are, wherever they are. And they’ll demand your attention every moment they’re there.
To say I’m excited about getting to see them again so soon after catching them live with La Dispute would be silly. I’m actually silly excited about it. They’re one of the most exciting bands to land within the confines of the various music scenes I regularly pay attention to. I doubt there will be many more opportunities to catch them in rooms so small for much longer.
