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Hearing Trousdale’s harmonies live was an otherworldly experience. Trying to see their visual accompaniment however, was more of a challenge. Taking the stage of The Sinclair, the rising pop-folk trio delivered flawless harmonies and vocal arrangements, welcoming audiences into their heartfelt chemistry. Though the visuals and staging of their performance fell flat in comparison, the band offered an exciting first glimpse into their potential for success across genres.
Hailing from Los Angeles, Trousdale was formed in 2014 by Quinn D’Andrea, Georgia Greene, and Lauren Jones. Brought together by the University of Southern California’s Popular Music program, the three members quickly became friends and released their debut EP, “Look Around,” in April of 2021. Since the viral success of their hit single “Wouldn’t Come Back,” which currently boasts over 17.3 million streams on Spotify, the band has rapidly gained traction on social media. To celebrate the recent release of their debut album “Out Of My Mind,” they’ve embarked on the nationwide Catching A Ride Tour featuring special guest Anna Vaus.
From the first song of the evening, Trousdale demonstrated a stunning mastery of three-part harmony. Each member knew exactly how to manipulate their intonation, timbre, and dynamic range to fit into the group’s texture. While Jones grounded the melody with smooth, husky bass vocals, D’Andrea dominated the middle range with excellent vocal control and Greene impressed with a variety of upper-range riffs and ornamentation. No single voice ever poked out; all three complimented each other to create a delicate, hauntingly beautiful wash of harmony.
Trousdale’s musicianship did not stop at their vocals. Each member played an instrument live while singing, with D’Andrea on the keyboard, Jones on acoustic guitar, and Greene on various percussion instruments. By the second song, in which Greene strapped a mini tambourine to her cowboy boot to add even more percussive flair, it was clear that the members are trained experts in technical music performance. After all, as D’Andrea pointed out before the show’s encore, “We went to school for this.”
This diversity of instrumentation emphasized the ability of Trousdale’s music to transcend genre. Many songs featured elements of country, punk, jazz, and pop simultaneously, offering something for every person in the audience to connect to. While such eclectic mixes of genre don’t always work out, Trousdale’s performance defied categorization to their advantage and showed off their prowess in musical experimentation.
Unfortunately, the visual aspects of the concert did not match the band’s energy and artistry. While the size of the venue created certain unavoidable limitations, the show’s lighting often failed to illuminate the members’ faces. The house lights also did not account for the different elevations from which the audience viewed the show, occasionally blinding concertgoers on the mezzanine level.
Despite the band’s enthusiasm, the energy of the concert diminished over time due to its poorly organized set list. Many of Trousdale’s upbeat songs were concentrated toward the beginning of the show, leaving the mid-tempo tunes and soulful ballads for the end. This structure made the slowest songs of the evening feel like they were dragging on, rather than highlighting the band’s vocal ability and lyricism.
The trio’s attempts to work the crowd also served as a reminder of their newness to live shows. They were still adjusting to being in front of an audience, and the show featured several expectant pauses and awkward inside jokes that viewers struggled to grasp. Nevertheless, this awkwardness was far more endearing than disruptive and revealed a sense of closeness among the group that spoke for itself.
What was most compelling about Trousdale’s concert was its importance to the members themselves. Each musician’s facial expressions showed that they were fully in the moment and relishing every second of being onstage. They truly sang, played, and spoke from the heart. Before playing their first hit “Wouldn’t Come Back,” which was released during the pandemic.
“This song meant a lot to us then, but it means even more now,” D’Andrea said.
Though an underwhelming experience visually, Trousdale’s Catching A Ride Tour left a strong musical impression and built upon the momentum of the trio’s latest album. The pacing of their shows would benefit from some restructuring and of course a broader discography. Time and experience will undoubtedly improve the members’ confidence in owing their talent. With all the right ingredients for artistic success, Trousdale is primed to establish themselves as boundary-pushing powerhouses in today’s pop and pop-adjacent landscapes.
