Free at Noon Flashback: Los Coast debuts Samsara on the World Cafe Live stage

Los Coast | photo by Makena Duffy for WXPN

Los Coast showcased their debut album Samsara for today’s Free at Noon concert. At first glance, they seem like the sort of group that could fall by the wayside. On paper, Los Coasts is a multi-genre, southwestern band from Austin with a quintessential hipster aesthetic. They make music influenced by soul, funk, pop, gospel, and everything in between. Without getting a solid grasp of the group, they could easily be dismissed as mildly pretentious. However, to think that would be poorly misguided. 

The band opened with “Cymatics,” an instrumental track, while lead singer and guitarist, Trey Privott stood idly on the side of the stage. In just a few moments, Trey sauntered over to the mic and the band began playing “Masquerade” from this year’s Samsara. Privott’s was raspier than ever as he repeated, “You gotta keep steppin’.” Having grown up in Georgia and Alabama before relocating to Austin, his voice very much takes inspiration from church music and the gothic Americana grit of the deep south. 

While more gospel-inspired songs off the album like “Masquerade” showcased Trey’s vocals, fellow frontrunner John Courtney truly shined while performing poppy tracks like “Monsters.” Courtney switched seamlessly between playing complex guitar riffs and a synth keyboard in a matter of seconds. His talent as a multiinstrumentalist stood out amongst other band members. Los Coasts also features Megan Hartman on bass, Damien Llanes on drums and Natalie Wright on keys. 

None of the tracks had any sort of spoken introduction. As each song transitioned into the next, the audience remained enthusiastic. It was a solid performance more focused on the music itself than the band playing it. Check out photos from the set in the gallery below.