Stereolab Shimmer In Brooklyn

Earlier this year, Stereolab announced Instant Holograms On Metal Film, their first album in 15 years, accompanied by a US tour, marking the end of a three-year hiatus. 

Breaking out of England in 1990, Stereolab established themselves with ambient melodies and buzzy artwork featured on their debut EP, “Super 45.” The group is often used in the same breath as many underground ‘90s artists, while standing out for their French lyrics and futuristic tones.

On Thursday, they sank into their second sold-out night at Brooklyn Steel, soothing the warehouse walls with a bank of distortion.

The iconic funky synth that defines Stereolab’s aura stood on full display in Brooklyn. Frontwoman Lætitia Sadier floated between her guitar and keyboard. Her Anglo-French accent serves as an additional instrument, blending into the band’s spacey and hypnagogic ambiance. Behind Sadier is co-lyricist and mastermind of the fuzzy guitar, Timothy Gane. 

Like most Brooklyn crowds, the audience split between those who cared and those who needed a way to spend their Thursday night. A few circles of the floor swung and swirled, while many of the viewers slowly nodded their heads. To be fair, Stereolab isn’t asking their crowd to bust a move, but the energy was generally lacking.

Although the audience may have been mellow, Stereolab could redirect and seamlessly transition into an electric sound. One of their earliest tracks, “Peng! 33,” took the band back to their alt-rock-leaning roots, a place they returned to on “Electrified Teenybop!” The best part about Stereolab may be their song titles. They defined the type of music people can recognize but can’t name. Take “Esemplastic Creeping Eruption” for example. 

The heavy-jam moments during their set were spaced between tracks with sensational grooves. The two cuts they pulled from Dots And Loops replenished the audience with a wistful orbit. A Stereolab concert feels like floating in space, with zero sense of danger or self. It’s like watching from an outside mindset, swaying in Sadier’s surrealism. 

Stereolab relied on the new LP for most of the set, which blended seamlessly into their more iconic tracks. Every few songs, a lousy fan would call for “French Disko” or other classics, to be met with a wave of “Shhhh’s.” Outside of the few fans stuck in the past, all of Brooklyn Steel had respect for the group.

“The Way Will Be Opening” began the encore, shooting the crowd with a soft force. Stereolab’s lyrics can often be lost in the rhythm, but they ring plainly clear. “Nothing at all can be expected // Except for the use of violence // Nothing at all can be changed if // Evolution turned us to silence.” In the rare moments the lyrics peek through, there is so much to be learned and ache over.

In seventeen songs, the group gave the audience a much-needed breath, releasing tension and immersing them in an atmosphere of avant-garde greatness. Stereolab riffed on nostalgic noise, symphonizing a perfect evening in Brooklyn.

Stereolab are on tour now, find tickets here. Listen to their new LP, Instant Holograms On Metal Film, here.