Since its humble beginnings just a few years back in 2021, NICE, a fest has grown to become one of the Boston area’s most anticipated summer music festivals. Utilizing two of Somerville’s most beloved venues, Davis Square’s Crystal Ballroom and The Rockwell, this year the festival will also bring back its annual adjacent outdoor vendor market, as well as a newly-added outdoor stage steps from the clubs at the Grove Street parking lot. The added stage (located behind Dragon Pizza for those savvy to the area) means that the lineup of mostly-local, all-top-notch acts has expanded this year, with well over 50 performances stretching from Thursday evening through Sunday night (July 25 to 28).
Headliners include Vundabar, Palehound, and Bay Faction, but rest assured as Vanyaland has the rundown of who not to miss throughout the weekend. Snag some passes in advance, and then study up on some of the hidden and not-so-hidden gems who are getting ready to shred — we promise it’s worth enduring the Red Line shuttle madness.
(As a disclaimer, we cannot guarantee these songs will be performed at the festival. But they’re still killer, and still worth getting into, as they reflect the bands and artist that made them, and we’d be thrilled if they do make it through those venue speakers in the coming days.)
Pink Navel, ‘DIY TWITTER’
Plymouth County’s “first and last art rapper of suburbia,” Pink Navel will help kick the weekend off early tonight at 7:45 p.m. at Crystal Ballroom. They’ve collaborated with the likes of Kenny Segal (see the collaborative album How to Capture Playful) and Won Pound (see Pink Pound), but it’s arguably on their solo work that Pink Navel shine the brightest, such as on their 2021 LP EPIC.
“DIY TWITTER” is a brain-scratching hip-hop/synthwave crossover that presents itself as something of a stream-of-consciousness, with Pink Navel taking time to let their lyrics span everything from their Black queer identity to, of course, Super Mario. The song, with its samples and layers, begs to be put on loop in order for each of its elements to be properly appreciated.
GIFT, ‘Light Runner’
This weekend may very well be the chance to claim a “I saw them when” moment before GIFT rocket into the stratosphere. The New York City band is hot off the presses with a brand-new single this week (July 24) titled “Light Runner.” The accompanying upcoming debut album Illuminator won’t be available until August 23, but hopefully we might get a sneak peek when they hit the stage at the Crystal Ballroom on Sunday at 7:45 p.m.
“Light Runner” is a shimmery, encapsulating pop soundscape a la hits from M83 or St Lucia. The track ebbs and swells beautifully, incorporating the breakbeat and alt-pop influences the band points to as inspiration. Their appearance at NICE will kick off a larger international headline run, which will take the band around the northeastern United States later this summer before jetting off to the United Kingdom and Europe in the fall.
Women in Peril, ‘Larkspur’
On Sunday, self-described “emo dog rock” Berklee-educated group Women in Peril hold the 2:15 slot at Crystal Ballroom. “Larkspur” is their latest offering, shared back in March via Perilous, and highlights the band’s skills across lyricism, instrumentation, and production.
Finely polished, with just the right hit of rough around the edges, “Larkspur” is a deeply personal and emotion-fueled rock anthem full of cathartic sing-along moments rooted in a guitar-forward elegy. The opening line alone is enough to catch attention — there’s certainly a poeticism to “You know I hate getting hurt, but I keep piercing my ears” — but stick around for the triumphant, reclaiming closing swell, which (fingers crossed!) will be an experience in and of itself experienced irl.
GRASS IS GREEN, ‘Big Dog Tee Shirt Birthday Weekend’
Another big moment at NICE this weekend will be an official reunion of GRASS IS GREEN, the Boston-based experimental group with roots in DC and two feet firmly planted in what makes weird rock fun. This track comes from their most recent album, 2014’s Vacation Vinny, and is situated right between the high-tempo “Disjoint” and the minute-and-a-half local nod “I’m From Dot Too.”
“Big Dog Tee Shirt Birthday Weekend” is chock-full of intensity-building dynamic range, textured guitar, and rich angsty tonality that should absolutely shine during their 10:15 p.m. Saturday set at Crystal Ballroom.
eph see, ‘did i?’
NICE, a fest seems to pride itself on its home-grown, DIY ethos, and Dorchester’s eph see certainly embodies, if not epitomizes, that. Working entirely independently, they released their self-led debut ep g*rlhood, in 2021; flash forward three years later, and they’ll be the first act to ever perform at NICE’s brand-new outdoor main stage on Saturday.
“did i?” is an airy, vulnerable cut from g*rlhood that feels straight out of a coming-of-age film soundtrack. eph see reflects on what they may have really wanted on the track, their light voice adamant that “I don’t want to live with the same old fears” before deciding “I got bitter, I wanna get better” over gently building soft percussion and shiny synth lines.
