Love Spells Brings His Charm to New York City

By Yaw Appiah

On September 23rd at The Bowery Ballroom, attendees followed one rule: love. Sir Taegen C’aion Harris, better known as Love Spells, shared his airy falsetto to mesmerize fans of his debut album, Love Is The Law. Released in July of this year, the record showcases the 21-year-old’s vocal talents backed by spacey, guitar-heavy instrumentals. 

Harris’s performer intuition was on full display throughout his show. The lights dimmed, and the beginning of the Houston native’s hit track, “Lovers Only,” began to play as he jogged onto the stage and quickly dove into a split. He then began to playfully prance from one end of the stage to the other, shredding air guitar before taking the mic. These moves continued through the entire performance, with Harris completing five splits in a row at one point. Harris is extremely animated on stage, but none of it ever feels forced. It feels like you’re watching someone in their own home, dancing without a care in the world. During calmer songs like “Kiss Me Slow This Time,” Harris’s dance moves shifted to perfectly fit the mood. He stretched his arms out to his side, as if the melodies could embrace him, and bobbed his head to the beat.

The amped energy continued with “Keep It To Yourself,” a slower tune off of Love Is The Law. Harris displayed his mind-blowing singing abilities near the end of this song with unreal vocal control. His high notes are impressive, but what is even more theatrical is the maintained subtlety in his voice. The delicate feel of his voice goes hand in hand with the calming instrumentals, which create an interesting marriage when paired with louder, faster-paced instruments. “Perfect Man” showcases this pairing, with Harris’s tenderness mixing with punchy guitar chords for an addictive contrast. 

Electric dance moves and vocal mastery weren’t the only things Harris did that improved his performance. He brandished a tambourine for multiple songs, turning him into a conductor as the crowd mimicked his claps. But the true ace up his sleeve was revealed during “Don’t Touch,” a track with a jingly acoustic guitar. Near the end of the song, Harris shocked the crowd by performing an improvised harmonica solo. It’s these extra aspects that elevated his performance from an ordinary live music show to an unmissable event.

On Love Is The Law, Harris’s lyrics align with the title by exalting the vulnerability of love, from the beauty of raw attraction to the ugliness of a relationship turned sour. Harris’s falsetto and an acoustic guitar do the heavy lifting on “Devour Me,” a song centered around unbridled devotion to a single lover. “Crutch” focuses on the aftermath, depicting the searing pain of a breakup. “Hurt me so much I need a gauze / But it wouldn’t work you stabbed my heart”.

Later in the set, “Maybe I Still Love You” benefited most from this emotional closeness. As an album closer, it emphasizes Harris’s unwavering belief in love, despite the many disappointing experiences detailed in earlier tracks. The song features light piano chords, guitar, and quiet drums, giving it an enchanting quality. That, mixed with the venue’s intimate nature, made the performance feel spiritual. Harris capitalized on the heightened emotion by starting a call-and-response with the crowd. Passionate chants of “I’m a believer” floated into the Manhattan skyline, and concertgoers left with one thing on their mind: love is the law of the land.

Love Spells’ debut album, Love Is The Law, is out now via RCA Records. Catch him on tour now, find more info here.