Lola Tried by Katrina Barber
From the gender-identity woes discussed by the Kinks, stage personas of Irish courtesans, romantic triangles in the hottest spot north of Havana and the excesses of want as performed on Broadway — one thing is for sure: Lola Tried.
The Austin, Texas power pop quartet formed in the summer of 2015 have become one of the hottest bands in a highly competitive music town. Fronted by the charismatic singer-songwriter Lauren Burton, backed by guitarist and keyboardist Ray Garza, and the rhythm section of Ray Flint and Greg Spencer, drums and bass respectively; Lola Tried bring more than effort to the stage.
Influenced by acts like New Yorkers Lemuria, Philly’s Swearin’ and Austin’s own punkers A Giant Dog — a band that a teen-aged Burton snuck in to 21-and-over shows to see — Lola Tried marry the best of indie rock with pop punk. They create a sound that is both danceable and hard enough to mean business. Burton is a confident yet enigmatic ringleader, and much of the band’s success can be attributed to her energy.
Lola Tried by Katrina Barber
In charting their own DIY course, Lola Tried have also shaken off rock’s habitual gender stereotyping. The result on record is two empowered-sounding works: an acclaimed five song EP, 2017’s “Popsicle Queen,” and 2018’s self-titled full-length.
Burton’s diaristic approach to songwriting took lead in the EP, a project she began before joining with Garza, Flint and Spencer, setting a base for the album’s more collaborative effort. Musically, there might be a bit more of gloss and sheen to the ten tracks therein, but the garage roughness lies beneath. Their great cover of “Seriously” provides a change of pace and is a nice nod to fellow Austinites Polly Mackey & the Pleasure Principle.
Lola Tried
Lola Tried also bring it live, taking energetic leaps from their recorded canon to create the kinds of memorable musical experiences that captivated Burton during her teen years. A recent tour with Dressy Bessy and show with Speedy Ortiz and Rozwell Kid have taken them out of the tightly knit Austin scene and across America. This is a band paying forward the power of music.
Lola Tried perform 8pm Wednesday October 30 at Voltaire in West Palm Beach with Electric Supply Co., Heller Floor, Bitter Blue Jays and Coral Canyons. lolatried.com ~ Abel Folgar
