Austin was slightly cloudy Thursday morning during the 26th annual South by Southwest music festival, but by the time Athens, Ga., dance-rock outfit Reptar took the stage at the Filter Magazine Showdown on Cedar Street around 2 p.m., the sun had finally broken through.
Much to the delight of a jam-ready crowd inside Cedar Street’s vine-lined courtyard, it was time to nod your head, y’all.
The southern twang previously written is a direct call back to Reptar’s debut EP, Oblange Fizz Y’all, a collection of disco-ready tracks that keep the feet moving.
So it went at the Showdown.
Touring as a six-piece band, the regularly five-member Reptar was synth-heavy with a deadly percussive beat driving the show. But the guitar work of singer Graham Ulicny added herky-jerky adornments to the breakdowns.
That’s not a bad thing, either. The guitars mixed it up in the background to blip and tweak the groove, even as it chugged along.
One big highlight was the bombastic and aptly-titled “Rainbounce,” which dropped heavy bass on the masses and even tacked a little metal shredding on the end.
During “Houseboat Babies,” Ulicny’s guitar strap became unfastened, which allowed him to grab the mic and unleash an impromptu funky chicken dance.
Reptar – whose first full-length, Body Faucet, is due in May – even left the crowd with a little taste of what’s to come, closing with the rock-leaning “Sweet Sipping Soda.”
All in all, it was a good way to continue a lengthy tour that will criss-cross North America leading up to Body Faucet‘s release.
For more information, visit Reptar’s official website.