With her new album Not Even Happiness (released via Ba Da Bing! Records), singer-songwriter Julie Byrne has already released one of the most beautiful albums you’ll hear all year. It’s a fragile, hypnotic record that’s stirring with lush imagery and romantic arrangements that will leave you in awe. So it was no surprise that the songs were even more heartbreaking in person during her performance at Rough Trade NYC in Brooklyn on January 27, which served as the release party for the album.
Kicking off the show was first opener Suno Deko was the Atlanta-based electronic project of David Courtright, who created dreamy sounds that were accompanied by visuals presented by the constant loop of a projector. Following their lead, the local performance group Infinity’s Song. They performed a mix of covers and originals, winning the crowd over with some great vocals and a knack for performance. They weren’t quite what you would expect from an opener at a Julie Byrne show, but that was a total welcome surprise.
It was finally time for Byrne to grace the stage, accompanied on each side by a violinist to her left, and a keyboardist to her right. She took centerstage, and quite literally commanded the undivided attention of every inch of Rough Trade. Any sudden movement or cough would act as an unwelcome distraction, the type of show where the thought of a misplaced camera shutter was truly frowned upon (more so than normal). There’s a serene naturalness to her music, but seeing her perform her songs live left me, along with the rest of the attentive audience, in a trancelike state.
She played eight out of the nine tracks from Not Even Happiness (“All the Land Glimmered” was cast aside) and ended things with the album’s stunning closer “I Live Now As A Singer.” The song is as pure of an experience as they come, somehow becoming even more elevated while seeing her perform it with just a synth providing the groundwork for her vocals. Although the 8-song set was short and somewhat abrupt, there was no better way for her to finish the show, and certainly no way to follow the beauty of the closer, which is already a contender for one of my favorite songs of the very young year.
Find the setlist posted below, along with photos from all three performers.
Julie Byrne Setlist:
1. Melting Grid
2. Sea as It Glides
3. Interlude
4. Sleepwalker
5. Follow My Voice
6. Morning Dove
7. Natural Blue
8. I Live Now as a Singer
Suno Deko:
Infinity’s Song:
Julie Byrne
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