No one should be surprised by the mediocre performance of pseudo-dubstep prodigy Baths at last Friday’s sold out show at the Rock and Roll Hotel.
Baths, the one-man project of Will Wiesenfeld, recorded his debut album “Cerulean” over the span of two months in his bedroom and has capitalized on the rising popularity of the chillwave genre, quickly gaining recognition on major music websites like Pitchfork and Stereogum. But when he stepped onstage Friday, it was clear that he was unprepared to live up to the buzz-band hype.
It was evident to the audience from his awkward stage demeanor that Wiesenfeld hadn’t played many live shows before, and he didn’t seem very comfortable being the center of attention for concertgoers. Before even playing his first song, Wiesenfeld proceeded to elaborate on being sick, in what came across as a poor disclaimer, and proceeded to stumble his way through the opening song only to stop halfway through to start again.
Baths’ rough start and onstage troubles would’ve been a non-issue, but sadly his unique brand of experimental bedroom pop didn’t translate well to a live setting. In fact, it didn’t translate at all: instead of the effervescent melodies that made “Cerulean” so enjoyable, Baths played a dark, beat-driven show. Audience members reacted favorably to “Cerulean” standouts “Aminals” and “Halls,” but Baths’ jarring new songs, which were prominently featured in his hour-long set, fell flat with the crowd.
All of the carefully constructed textures found in “Cerulean” were obfuscated by bass-heavy synthesized beats that drowned out Wiesenfeld’s falsetto, harmonies and keyboard textures. Any sort of melody was obscured by complex beats that didn’t adhere to traditional musical standards such as tempo.
However, little of this can be blamed on Baths himself. This is Wiesenfeld’s first headlining tour, coming on the heels of his highly anticipated debut album. Hardly a year in the making, Baths is undoubtedly a musician with promise, with a strong recording under his belt and a fresh take on a fast-expiring genre — expecting Wiesenfeld’s first major tour to be flawless is far from reasonable.
The next time Baths comes to town, he’ll hopefully be more comfortable on stage and more used to performing his new material, and it’ll likely be a show you won’t want to miss. Unfortunately, Baths’ first headlining appearance in D.C. succumbed to some serious growing pains.
mmcdermott@theeagleonline.com
