After w/ Cocona & Isaac Dunbar @ Royce Hall [5/21/26]

Cover photo by Kimberly Ruiz Alvarez (SCA)

The first act was UCLA based smooth-jazz artist, Cocona. Accompanied by a supporting student band, Cocona graced the stage with her deep, warm vocals joined by the bright instrumentation of her jazz and pop-infused discography. In her flowing white blouse, Cocona became a glowing light grabbing the attention of the audience, entranced by her sincere lyricism and graceful style of singing. “Tokyo Train”, for example, is a calming yet confessional song describing the singer’s interpersonal conflicts joined by melodic piano and twangy guitars. Similarly, “Still Won’t See You”, a recent release by Cocona sung in both English and Japanese contrasts the grief of leaving and remaining out of a past relationship with a backdrop of elegant instrumentals. Cocona’s effortlessly smooth stage presence built a solid foundation for a high-energy transition to the night’s next performer, Isaac Dunbar.

Dawning the stage in a maxi-skirt, silver blouse, red blazer, and bright red stilettos while dangling a purse off his shoulder, you wouldn’t even need to have listened to Dunbar’s music before correctly guessing what the next forty minutes were going to be like. Strutting around the stage and taking note of every audience member – front to back of the venue – his electro-pop style of songs brought the enthusiasm to the night. As a self proclaimed “Queen of the Underground”, Isaac Dunbar turned the Royce Hall stage into a dance floor. “Fan Behavior” is a perfect look into his diva sensibility – feeding off of his own confidence and displayed further through his ease in interacting with the crowd. By the end of his set, everyone was up out of their seat, dancing to his 80s pop inspired track “Princess” or confessional ballad-turned soft synth-pop song “Love, Or the Lack Thereof”. As Dunbar’s set came to a close, his commanding energy left ripples through the crowd of students, still standing but now buzzing in excitement waiting for the headlining act.

Following a growing eagerness from the crowd, After finally took to the stage, beginning their set in a cool blue darkness with an electronic ambient intro that seemed to ease, or perhaps time-travel, Royce Hall into their universe of sound. Justine Dorsey, lead-singer and one-half of the After duo, with her golden hair rising into the air from a fan’s winds, counted up, “one, two, three, four.” From the duo’s producing half, Graham Epstein loaded up a lighthearted and bouncy backing track from his laptop for their first song, “Deep Diving,” an absolutely delicious electronica-pop tune that opens up for their aptly named sophomore EP After EP 2. The tune’s catchy lyrics and lush production mesmerized the crowd into a pleasant dance of bobbing back and forth, a compelling yet mellow energy that carried throughout the night. 

Performing a healthy mix of uptempo electro-pop with more melancholic rock and trip-hop focused tracks, After kept the show diverse and proved their range in a handful of genres that flourished during their time-period of inspiration. Songs like “Ever” brought a darker sound that reminded one that beyond the glitz and shimmer of the 2000s, a permeating sorrow had likewise defined the era for those older than most of us in the crowd. Evanescence-inspired tracks like “Baroque” dispelled the notion that the band was solely interested in a Frutiger Aero sound, offering alt-rock for a new generation. The hint of homage that marks many of their tracks felt less like pastiche and more like fantasy, akin to the 60s obsession with the Renaissance or that of the 80s with the Middle Ages. After truly lets the crowd experience live a piece of their childhood once again, even if it never really happened. Dorsey herself has said that “it’s cool to see when really young people like the songs. And they’re nostalgic for something they didn’t experience,” a sign of a growing fantasization of the 2000s. 

Their internet hit “300 Dreams” built back their electronic momentum and was dedicated by Dorsey to all those in the audience. To many Bruins’ excitement, Dorsey revealed that she had attended UCLA for two years, and wishful thinking would have one hoping that their college-movie-esque sound was inspired by our very own campus. It seemed like a full circle moment for Dorsey, who said she never dreamed she’d be back performing at Royce Hall.