Pulsr at The Yellow Mailbox, 10/6/22
The Yellow Mailbox is 12 feet of floor and 12 feet of ceiling extruded 40 feet down toward a staircase. The bands are pressed against one side of the room somewhere in the middle with scattered lights all across the venue’s ceiling, giving the room a deep yellow hue that washes everyone's faces with light. It feels like the Paradise Rock Club, if the Paradise was much cozier and a sub 100 person venue. Long square room, yellowish lights; the Yellow Mailbox: that’s where I think the name comes from. It’s a new house venue in the Somerville area, and tonight is its first show.
It’s October 6th, and tonight’s lineup is Pulsr and Joyer, with support from Squitch and Pearl Sugar. It's not just the occasion of the Yellow Mailbox’s first ever show, it's also the first stop on Pulsr’s fall tour of the northeast. But not everything is perfect: Pulsr just broke the back window of their van. The show’s going to happen no matter what, but it seems like there’s going to be a delay, so I head to the venue later than the 8:00 start time.
Apparently, I’m a little bit too late - when I get there, a disco mix is playing off a turntable and Pearl Sugar are breaking down their equipment as Squitch get ready to take the stage. People are milling about inside and outside, chatting, heading towards the bathroom, complimenting Pearl Sugar on their set, grabbing earplugs. The earplugs are a cue I will take too late: the room’s shipping-crate shape keeps everyone close to the speakers, and my ears will be left ringing by the end of Squitch’s set. Pulsr have finally arrived, too - later than expected; yes, but they’re here.
Squitch is about to start their set, and everyone is herded back in. They’re a four piece group with rock tendencies that sounds like a washing machine on tumble. That’s a compliment: the band has a tension that makes them feel like they're always on the verge of falling apart, but then, all of a sudden, they’ve come back together. To be very clear, this is a carefully and purposefully crafted tension: there’s a tightness to it that lets the instrumentals shine, but also allows the slanted vocals to pass through with power and effect. As Squitch’s set carries on, the crowd becomes freer and freer, moving away from the wall and closer to the band, and by the end, we’re all dancing around.
As the guitars die down, a decision is made; Pulsr will play next. They’re higher on the bill, but just to make sure everyone can see them at a reasonable time for a Thursday night, they’ll be coming on now. The disco LPs come back at a soft hum, and as I should have anticipated, my ears are ringing like an eternal wind coming into a cave. A pair of orange foam earplugs go into my back pocket as I watch Pulsr load in.
When Pulsr first takes the stage they sound gazy, but soon enough they launch into aggressive and flammable breaks. It unifies them with the audience in a cyclical pattern of calm nodding breaking into impassioned bobbing, back and forth as the drums and guitars rise and fade. The drums are particularly spectacular and the space showcases it fantastically. . There’s not nearly enough room for the drummer to be stuck in the back, so the drums are as close and as visible as anything coming from the guitar or bass. Pulsr’s drummer Josh is fantastic beyond time keeping and propulsion, so from the drummer-in-focus perspective of the Yellow Mailbox, I end up watching him more than anyone as I dance around. But that would be ignoring the credits of Pulsr’s guitarist/vocalist Jake and their bassist Drew, both of whom are clearly integral to the progressing and shifting waves of each song. Pulsr plays like an ocean tide, and each member is there to both guide it and ride it.
Pulsr wraps up, and Joyer is yet to play. It’s late in the evening now, so the turnover is sped up and Joyer is on the stage in no time. Joyer is missing their drummer, so they have Josh of Pulsr playing with them. It turns out to be brilliant sequencing; their slowcorish sound lets the night ease into itself. The four piece plays a shorter set to not go on too long: after all, lead vocalist and guitarist Shane Sullivan has a music theory test tomorrow. So even as the methodical and cycling guitars grow and wilt under the warm yellow lights, Joyer eventually has to play a last note. So when they do, the Yellow Mailbox finishes its first ever show to cheers of ‘more!’
