Ravyn Lenae is Hypnotic at The Metro
Review by: Dane Roberts
Ravyn Lenae is back in her hometown of Chicago to bring the Hypnos Tour to The Metro. Promoting her long-awaited debut album titled Hypnos, Ravyn put on a stellar and ethereal show in Chicago’s Wrigleyville neighborhood on June 22nd. The album has already been critically acclaimed by the likes of Pitchfork, NPR, and many more, making it one of the best R&B albums to be put out this year so far.
Ravyn was especially excited to be in Chicago and was beaming during the whole set. She walked out in a technicolored dress and an elaborate hairstyle which left the audience in awe, but not before her band of bassist, guitarist, synth player, and drummer all walked on stage to tune their instruments.
I was a bit surprised to see the band myself as Hypnos the album is more of a stripped back effort, combining dirty synths with Rayvn’s angelic voice; I was interested to see how the sound would be translated in front of a live audience. And I was pleasantly satisfied. Ravyn Lenae trades the whispery dreamland for an anthemic confirmation of voice, proving that this music has many personalities and facets to it beyond the studio album.
The Metro is a perfect setting for this concert as its personable connection to the audience is shown through its intimate setting. Even high above on the balcony, you’re not missing a beat or a syllable of Ravyn’s performance. She was very connected to her audience that night, maybe because of the hometown nostalgia or just the pure good energy radiating off her that made the audience feel as one big entity.
Definite highlights of the set were upbeat, light techno track, “Venom”, fan favorite closer, “Sticky”, and my personal favorite, the light and airy love song of “Skin Tight”. Throughout all these songs, the band played like they were in a sold-out stadium, riffing off each other and giving these songs a new life, for themselves as well as the audience.
Ravyn Lenae was absolutely exceptional and proved to be one of the best performances of the summer so far.
Links:
Ravyn Lenae:
Official: https://www.ravynlenae.com/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/ravynlenae
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ravynlenae
Instagram: https://instagram.com/ravynlenae
Metro Chicago:
Official: https://metrochicago.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MetroChicago
Twitter: https://twitter.com/metrochicago
Instagram: https://instagram.com/metrochicago
