Covet w/ Altopalo & Scarypoolparty at Wonder Ballroom April 7th, 2023

Manor 208 was lucky enough to catch the first night of Covet’s Catharsis tour featuring support from Altopalo & Scarypoolparty. This would also the commence the album release party. There was cake and a face mustache at the end.

Altopalo are veterans of the New York Underground scene. I would describe their sound to be very experimental mixing in elements of R & B, electronic, Atmospheric, & Jazz. Their posture and all around focus made me think of them as well-seasoned musicians. You could feel the energy radiating over the crowd of people as the lead singer commanded the crowd with his experimental dialog of movement. It felt like luminescent dreamscape that you could touch and feel. A very different but warming experience.

The stage went dim, shining the spotlight center stage revealing the next artist. Scarypoolparty is a one-man band created by Alejandro Aranda, He is best known for being runner-up on American Idol’s seventeenth season. Alejandro’s musical influences include Beethoven, Bach, Chopin, Dead Can Dance, & Nine Inch Nails. He started off the show with just his guitar; at this point in the show, the crowd was all nestled in familiar with each other. His performance was outstanding, truly a marksmen on the guitar and his voice is what kept you entranced in his performance.

Finally the time would come that Covet would grace the stage. There was a shift in lighting bringing more warmth to the stage. A mic stand came out with florescent light bulbs. The crowd was cheering waiting for Covet to make their way to the stage.

Covet is comprised of Yvette Young (guitarist), Brandon Dove (bassist), & Jessica Burdeaux (drummer). Covet is the brainchild of Yvette Young who is an amazingly talented artist. Young is of Chinese heritage and comes from a musical background: her father was a singer, accordionist, and composer while her mother was an organist and accordionist.

Anticipation was at a new high, as the band introduced themselves thanking the crowd for showing up and being present. The night would consist of new and old songs through the Covet catalog. Some highlights were “shibuya”, “falkor”, & “lovespell”. Catharsis just dropped the same day, so it was a very special night. I had listened to the album before the show so I had a good idea of what songs I was most excited for. Firebird is a breakout hit of the record, for its catchy punchy sound. Makes me think back to a more freeing time where there wasn’t a care in the world and you just drove with an unknown destination.

This tour isn’t one to be missed. Every artist is exceptional in and shows that d.i.y. style is still alive and well. Most importantly each band is independent, meaning no labels just musicians making music for the sake of art.

Catharsis is out now! on Spotify & Bandcamp