I’ve heard that living in New York makes you too hard and living in Los Angeles makes you too soft. Three years after moving across the country for school, I’ll admit it- I’m soft. But on Thursday April 25th, Jes and I headed to the El Rey Theatre in West Hollywood to see Quarters of Change, an alternative rock band hailing from New York City. By the end of the night I was infused with Quarters of Change’s East Coast grit, characterized by crunchy guitar tones and smug lyrics like “Well, I’m sorry that I lied, when I told you that I wrote you that song.”
The neon lights of the El Rey illuminated the line that went down the block, stacked with 20 year olds dressed in grungy black and gray outfits. After getting some excessively expensive concert ciders, we headed to the photo pit for the first artist of the night, Blond in Car. Also known as Robin Schorr, Blond in Car sported a matching flower-print pantsuit and tumbling blond waves reminiscent of a Laurel Canyon-era Carole King. Blond in Car describes herself as “the groovy aunt of dream-pop,” and after seeing her mixing board attached to an ironing board, I wholeheartedly agree with that attestation.
Her Instagram is full of skits about music, being a stoner mom, and how Clairo changed her life. The crowd immediately fell in love with her eclectic and unapologetic, yet simultaneously comforting, energy. She began all her songs with personal anecdotes that were thoroughly amusing. Schorr wrote “My High Gummygirl” to express her amiable feelings for her stoner daughter while “Nice and Mean” was written about her ex-husband. He would ask her if the song was written about him, to which she always replied no. But on Thursday night she confessed- the song is totally about him.
Next up was Maiah Manser, an ethereal noir-pop artist hailing from Oregon. Her performance was immersive and atmospheric, blurring genre boundaries of pop and electronic music. The lighting guided the mood of the performance; the purple light brought out the imaginative and dream-pop nature of her music, while the blue light accompanied her more melancholy songs. Finally, the red light illuminated the sensual undertones of her music and performance as she danced throughout the entire set, surrendering control of her body to the ebbs and flows of her music.
10:15 rolled around and the crowd grew tense with anticipation. Harsh white lights illuminated Quarters of Change’s lead singer, suit-jacket clad Ben Roter. The crowd’s screams mixed with the band’s signature gritty guitar sounds filled the room with an undeniably dynamic energy. The band opened with “What I Wanted,” the opening track on their new album, Portraits. Quarters of Change’s music embodies the modern state of alternative rock, amalgamating yearning vocals with upbeat tempos and complex guitar solos.
The group has found its influences from 1990’s and 2000’s rock and alternative rock bands, such as The Strokes and The Red Hot Chili Peppers, which manifests in intricate guitar lines, catchy lyrics, and energetic live performances. The intensity created onstage by the bandmates, who have been friends since 8th grade, was palpable. Quarters of Change formed in 2017 as a high school cover band, where they would retreat in their schools’ basement “after hours and hide from school security.” Roter’s voice evoked a wide range of emotions, which were accentuated by guitarists’ Ben Acker and Jasper Harris’ technical guitar skills. Attila Anrather held down the band’s high-tempo songs on drums with vigor and sweat dripping down his face.
When Harris started playing the opening guitar line for “T Love,” the crowd started collectively screaming. This song from the group’s 2022 album Into the Rift encapsulates the range of emotions that Quarters of Change conveys in a single song. “T Love” is an ode to “a seemingly perfect love interest that was just out of reach.” Roter’s vocals conveyed the emotionally tumultuous mood of the song, as the crowd joined him to shout out the bridge’s repeated line “Stop it, love me, stop it, love me now.” So as much as I love the 20 minute drive to the beach and 75-degree winter days, sometimes you need to be knocked down in a sweaty crowd of screaming 20-somethings to remind you where you came from.
Quarters of Change’s new album Portraits is emblematic of the interplay of emotionality, energy, and grit that has led the band to sell out shows across the country. Listen to their newest release here:
