Brooklyn’s French Kicks has D.C. roots: Three-fourths of the band’s original lineup hails from the District. And though only drummer Nick Stumpf remains from that early version of the band, its music has retained a few similar elements for the past 10 years: catchy sing-along ballads, swooning guitars, thumping bass lines, all matched to Stumpf’s sultry, sometimes nearly ambient, vocal chops. Across four full-lengths—including this year’s Swimming—the quartet has mastered the method of starting with minimal and repetitive riffs that eventually lead to powerful melodic blasts. Tonight’s set will probably draw from fan favorites like “Young Lawyer” and “Close to Modern,” but the French Kicks discography is full of tracks like the feel-good “You Could Not Decide” and the danceable “Abandon,” which would just fine as singles themselves.

FRENCH KICKS PERFORMs WITH BEAR BANDS AT 9 P.M. AT THE BLACK CAT, 1811 14TH ST. NW, $15. (202) 667-4490.