It’s amazing how certain things stick with you over time. In the months leading up to the closing of legendary Cambridge rock club T.T. The Bear’s Place last summer, a lot of bands played on its stage, from newer local acts to the Pixies. And yet, more than a year later, one of the main things this writer recalls are performances by New York State duo Titanics.
As I said, certain things just stick with you.
Tonight, the duo of vocalist/keyboardist Mark Lombardo and guitarist Derek Rogers are back in Cambridge, this time just beyond the dirty reaches of Central Square for a gig at the Plough & Stars on Massachusetts Avenue. And they arrive armed with physical (and aural) proof of the brilliant flashes they showed at T.T.’s last year, via a new EP titled Hotel.
The sexy as fuck six-track collection of warm, electronic compositions dropped earlier this month, and while it appears “Blue/Green” is hailed as the “single” (whatever that means in 2016), it’s the opening moments of second song “Tides” that truly connects us to Titanics’ sweet spot of liquified ’90s-kissed R&B pop. It might be the best song PM Dawn never wrote.
Check out “Tides” and the rest of their Hotel EP below, and roll up to the Plough early enough to catch Vanyaland faves Teenender, who provide a nice complementary alt-pop sound to the Albany dudes.
