Concert Review: Lina Tullgren Sings To Wasting Away At Mercury

From “Nervous” to “Faceoff,” Lina Tullgren sings to the moments when we do not feel new. When we feel like all the greatness within us is wasting away, and the best we can do for ourselves is quietly watch. Thus, her chords, at Mercury Lounge, felt like quiet chaos, and simmered down a crowd ready to have their minds inflamed by sentimental thoughts. 

What I love about Tullgren’s style is that it is unassuming. She is not trying to “rock” your world with divalicious vocals or even crazy melodies; although they could be patterned like a church orchestra gone mad. Instead, Tullgren feels glued into place; swinging her body and guitar back in forth as if she as stuck on the stage as she feels in life. Looking to her fellow bandmates for laughs and support, she builds a vibe of an everywoman figuring out everyday. The image matches with tracks such as, “Asktell”and “Slow.” Each one holds lyrics about feeling less than satisfied with both your life’s results and reactions to such results. It is as if life is one giant attempt to do “something,” and you are not doing it.

With a sparkling blue clogs, Lina felt like a Millennial Dorothy; two clicks of a heel and she was back in her “Kansas. Brooklyn” apartment. The simplicity of her vocality felt welcoming in seasoning the meat of her verses. Moroever, as mentioned, her songs are sonically/ endearingly strange. They go from clear symphonies into drummed and keyed insanity. Veering and fuzzing from notes as if to represent the random ruptures a person goes through emotionally. One minute, your life feels on course, and then it becomes a Rubik’s cube you have to figure out. Embodying that in sound is not easy, but, somehow, Lina Tullgren places such weighty feelings with casual style. For More Information On Lina Tullgren Click Here.