The 4411 Bids the Summer Goodbye at The Mercury Lounge, NY
Have you ever looked back on the first time you met your best friends? Saying “Hi” and "Hello,” learning each other’s names, and shuffling through topics until you find the one thing you have in common? It’s awkward and new and before you know it, they become the person that knows all the things that make you smile and cry and dance and scream.
That’s how it felt watching The 4411 in New York City. The four piece alternative rock band from Austin, Texas played their newest EP Haven’t Seen You In So Long in The Mercury Lounge earlier this September. The band consists of Cogan McBride on vocals, Alan Holmquist on guitar, Tomas Gerlach on drums, and Nick Speer on bass. The way concerts go, you show up with zero clue on what your night’s going to be like. Who will I meet? What songs are they going to play? How is the band going to sound live? So naturally, it takes about a song or two to warm up to the band and settle into what you expect the show is going to be. But The 4411 was different. As soon as they hit that stage, any awkwardness or anxiety about the night fully evaporated. The crowd were friends with each other and even best friends with the band.
The 4411 had a way of, as Natasha Bedingfield would have put it, getting you to release all your inhibitions and just have fun. After the show, I had the opportunity to talk with bassist, Nick Speer. I asked him what he thought it was about their music that makes it so easy for the audience to instantly connect.
SPEER: We write songs with a lot of emotion and so they’re emotionally charged. I think that message translates whenever we get in front of a live audience, you know, face-to-face.
They opened their set with “Oak Trees” from their new EP and what a brilliant choice as the song, from that first beat drop, had the crowd energized and already begging for more. They also played “Sweet July” and “Austin,” soft ballads that leaned into their folk influences and, in my opinion, were perfect goodbyes to summer. Their song “Her” was a favorite among fans, both prior and after the show, with its heartfelt and whole-souled lyrics. They closed the show with “Sunset Calling,” an upbeat song that encapsulated what the crowd felt that night: that euphoric feeling when you realize that you’re at exactly the right place at the right time. Plus, the song grants you the opportunity to sing the lyrics “Can we stay in the same place for a little while?” when you’re young and having fun in New York City.
Like a best friend, The 4411 knew how to get you to smile and cry and dance and scream. They also got you to carry guitarist, Alan Holmquist, as he crowd-surfed for his first time (which was absolutely as awesome as it sounds). The 4411 played a show that I’ll remember as how I ended an amazing summer. I am sure to be on the lookout for the next time they’re around. The band has wrapped up their tour now but they have followed it right up with a show in Austin City Limits Music Festival.