I spent an entire weekend listening to Young Prisms’ debut, Friends for Now, wondering why I liked it so much. Their washed out, reverb-heavy “sound” has been edited into the dustbin over the decades. Am I just a sucker for a good revision?
Guess so. At Emo’s last night, the San Francisco group tried its best to replicate the album’s harmonic, narcotic convergence, though there was only one guitarist instead of two, so the sound was a bit diminished. Or… washed out. Singer Stefanie Hodapp stood nearly motionless on stage, save for cocking her head slightly to the left or right, the way a girl does when she’s flirting, but doesn’t want to make eye contact.
That bored-and-stoned vibe permeated the set. “Young” is the operative word; no one on stage or in the crowd looked over 25. This is obviously a band that’s still getting comfortable, though “In Your Room” and “I Don’t Get Much” packed a sweet punch, the kind that makes you close your eyes and clock out.
This article appears in January 21 • 2011.