Lest you doubt the impact and influence of early-2000s east coast art-damaged indie music, put your ears to EXPO.
The Philly band in some ways is an amalgam of that era’s boundary-pushing rock artists: the brittle dissonance of Liars, the euphoric atmospheres of Animal Collective, the meditative melodies of Grizzly Bear, all in one place. Those influences are worn very much on EXPO’s sleeves, but in other ways, this rising experimental rock trio brings their own angle to the game: layers of sampler texture mixing with analog instrumentation, propulsive percussion by band leader Dave McGrory, a balance of world-weary cynicism with genuine vulnerability.
EXPO’s sophomore album, ENTERS THE CHAT, comes out this Friday on Window Sill Records, with a release party happening the night before at new/old South Philly spot Nikki Lopez (the venue previously known as Dobbs). The band has had the record in the tuck for a while now; this Key Studio Sessions performance predominantly featuring songs from the new album (plus “BROKEN NEWS” from their self-titled debut) was recorded in early March of 2024. Now, a year and a month later, we are positively pumped to share this footage of McGrory and his bandmates — Russ Isreal on guitar and synths, Tyler Yoder on bass — locked in and exploding with energy.
Watch the session above, check out a gallery of photos from the session down below, and support the record over on Bandcamp. For tickets and information on their album release party, head to the WXPN Concert Calendar.