knows its niche well. The band can give small venues an orchestrated and psychedelic trip into the ’80s with the musicianship that matches its recorded product. At a sold out on Tuesday, fans got what’s become expected of the SoCal indie-rock outfit.
With fog and low lighting, Gardens & Villa took the stage, bathing the venue in the atmosphere of a high school dance. While the stage remained dark throughout the hour-long set, the tones and heavy hitting bass lines powered up the vigor in front of lava lamp TV projections.
Vocalist Chris Lynch has a surprisingly pure voice, and with little help from reverb and delay, he is a dying breed. Lynch wasted no time whipping out his flute for the opening song “Domino,” the lead track on the band’s newest album “Dunes.” Adam Rassmussen on synth held up the psych while drummer Levi Hayden and bassist Shane McKillop missed no beat alongside keyboardist Dustin Inerman. The group was on point with the angular sound they ostensibly strive for. Unfortunately, Gardens & Villa’s focus on instrumentation led to a lack of personality and audience interaction.
The group has no shame is using the throwback instruments of the ’80s, and they make it sound good. Gardens & Villa’s songs are the back track to every movie you loved from the era of spandex and Tom Cruise, and the young crowd didn’t miss a beat in connecting with the nostalgia (even if they didn’t really “get it”).
After the incredibly ’80s banger, “Spacetime,” Lynch finally addressed the crowd in a short “thanks” and “we love you” before returning to the vibey jam “Avalanche”. Gardens & Villa channel the synth pioneer Kraftwork while effortlessly keeping their heads in the new-age game of their contemporaries like Future Islands, Wild Nothing, and at their darker moments, Suuns.
Throughout the set, Gardens & Villa played directly down the tracklist of its latest album, peppering in a few tracks from the self-titled debut. With a packed house, fans that sing every word and professional musicianship, it’s surprising that Gardens & Villa isn’t playing larger venues. But then again, they’re comfortable at Larimer Lounge, and maybe if the band builds up the confidence, we’ll be seeing them in a roomier setting next time.
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Pop music blogger Laina Roberts is a Denver-based writer and new contributor to Reverb. Read more of her writing on and follow her on .
Juli Williams is a Denver-based photographer and new contributor to Reverb.
