The Frights - “Over It” (Live)

SXSW 2020 - OEB Score: 8; Popularity Index: 9 

Pairs Well With…The Growlers, Dashboard Confessional, The Killers

A proper live album shows off something new and interesting and that’s the case with The Frights’ explosive Live At The Observatory. Rambunctious power pop crafted with sing-a-long inclusivity, The Frights’ music sounds huge on this latest 2019 release, collecting what sound like gigantic hits at least to their crowd gripped on every word. This makes sense hearing how personal The Frights’ songwriting tends to be, hitting on universal themes of love, breakups and friendships with relatable ease. Musically The Frights are power chords and hooks, assembling arena rock builds in their choruses with full guitar embrace. Pretty much all of their tracks sound like set closers live, peaking with fist-raising hope and camaraderie. On record The Frights sound a little more distant and washed out, so Live At The Observatory is a keen indication that these songs flourish when given some space to run on stage. (Kevin McStravick)