In their Wednesday night show at the Southern, Reptar took audience members on a weird, intergalactic adventure. Bright, trippy keyboard effects reminiscent of time travel and dream sequences accompanied vocalist Graham Ulicny’s passionate melodies from the group’s most recent album, “Lurid Glow.”
Ulicny, Ryan Engelberger, William Kennedy and Andrew McFarland joined forces in 2009, naming their band after the beloved “Rugrats” dinosaur. While the four members did not begin playing music together until high school, Ulicny and Engelberger had met over a decade before at age five. Reptar invited T. Lee Gunselman, Jake Thomson and Mike Netland of Breathers to headline and play with the group on their cross-country tour this fall.
“We’ve actually known them way before Breathers was a band, in other bands over the years and have played in several bands together over the years. ...We’re having a very incestuous little tour so far,” Ulicny said.
Highlights of the set included “No One Will Ever Love You” and “Cable” — two songs off the band’s most recent album. These pieces highlighted the group’s ability to emphasize individual elements like echoing vocals and tapping synth solos so audiences can appreciate the range of sound. Ulicny’s high register and sometimes abrasive screaming brought to mind images of Rush’s Geddy Lee. The vocalist repeatedly transitioned from high-volume, high-pitched verses to softer, whispering sections. With the singer’s dancing feet tapping in the dark and intimate venue, it was easy for listeners to get caught up in the beat of the music.
However, attentive listeners could note in head-bobbing, hip swaying breaks that Ulicny’s lyrical melodies are incredibly intricate and personal. In multiple songs from Reptar’s “Lurid Glow,” Ulicny demands answers from specific individuals. At the start of the show, he softly sang “Do you love me? Do you want me?” Later on, the mood became much darker as he grew more frustrated, screaming, “You won’t listen to anything I say!”
“I think we all want it to be like an art experience. We like to take songs that are a little bit more, like emotive … but then make the music very effusive and poppy, which I think gives people a kind of catharsis there,” Ulicny said.
Reptar presents listeners with a clear choice: they can close their eyes, dance and become one with the music, or they can be less attached and focus on the negative aspects of Ulicny’s melodies — his frustration and sadness.
“My theory is that when people are listening to music, they’re trying to figure out where they themselves fit in that music,” bassist Engelberger said.
No matter their choice, listeners will certainly gain something from the experience. Reptar’s musicians are clearly where they belong, making music that is accessible, catchy, and thought-provoking.
“Most people I know who make music are smart enough to do other jobs that are better-paying, but none of us could imagine doing that … it feels to me like I have to make music,” Engelberger said.
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