“This one’s for you Boston,” called out a teary-eyed Carlisle native on November 21st, the second night of her two-day stint at Paradise Rock Club. Emotions were running high as Clairo closed out her tour with a hometown visit to the city that houses her feelings of emptiness and discontent on her debut album Immunity.
The night began with a crowd warm up from genre-bending grunge / hip-hop / alternative trio Hello Yello. Rising indie pop queen beabadoobee then took the stage, and had everyone singing along to her hit “She Plays Bass” and swaying to her ethereal sound. After a short wait, the piano notes of Clairo’s ode to Massachusetts “Alewife” pierced the room. Clairo, a small silhouette in front of a backlit moon-shaped backdrop, walked up to the microphone. From an audience of a single webcam lens to hundreds of phone cameras— Clairo had come a long way and was ready to live up to her viral legacy.
Clairo isn’t your typical pop star. Even if anthemic in quality, her songs are not made to fill large venues. Cleverly aware of this, in her live shows, Clairo positions herself as the front woman of an indie-quartet— an ensemble much more suited to the quiet and emotional power of her voice. Although this arrangement minorly compromises on the dreamy sound of her music, it substitutes it with a raw rock energy.
Most of her songs thrived with this set up. “4EVER” with its funky bass line, and “Softly” with its melodic chorus, were both the perfect backdrop to a showcase of Clairo’s confidence which she exuded with rhythmic dance moves, belting her own lyrics as she punched the air. “Bags,” another winner, got the whole crowd in their feelings. At times she was drowned out by the choir of audience members looking up to the singer with idolizing eyes.
On “Pretty Girl,” the backdrop was illuminated with the YouTube music video of Clairo’s younger self. From internet to reality, the juxtaposition of the two girls singing along to the song affirmed the timelessness of the hit.
Towards the end of the night, the band left the stage as Clairo played a new, unnamed song she planned to record in the coming weeks. The melodic guitar riff filled the room as the audience listened with intrigue. From dance hits to indie anthems to solo tunes, Clairo’s multi-dimensionality was proven through and through.