Thursday: Bratty at Songbyrd

On the opening track of TRES, the third album by 23-year-old Culiacán, Mexico, native Jennifer Abigail Juárez, the singer-songwriter confesses over a gentle acoustic guitar that she wants to “Write a new album/ One that’s really worth it.” That sort of frankness and insecurity, narrated in Juárez’s sweet soprano voice, has distinguished Bratty, her musical project, since its inception in 2018. Bratty came on to the scene with Todo Está Cambiando, a self-produced shoegazey EP that made waves in Northern Mexico’s indie scene and kicked off a successful musical career full of noteworthy collaborations (Cuco, Metronomy) and performances (Coachella 2023). Throughout TRES, Juárez openly wrestles with the moderate fame she has accrued over the past six years. “I get depressed when I turn on the radio,” she sings on “Radio,” a pop-rock indictment of the music industry and an admission of self-sabotaging tendencies. Depression is a recurring theme on TRES: It’s seasonal on “Agosto,” it keeps Juárez in bed on “Estos Días,” and it teams up with her anxiety on “¿Que Será De Mi?,” a beautiful duet with Mexican indie-pop artist Ivana. Bratty’s confessional, melancholy lyrics pose a sharp contrast to her danceable indie-rock arrangements, the product of a 20-something who grew up listening to Mexican genres like norteño and corrido, then logged on and discovered artists such as Snail Mail and Best Coast (Juárez named herself Bratty after Best Coast’s “Bratty B”). Listening to TRES, with all its insecurity and self-doubt, you get the sense that Bratty isn’t really the type to sing her own praises. So take it from us: TRES is definitely an album que vale la pena. Tickets to see Bratty bring her spectacular songwriting to Songbyrd this Thursday are worth it, too. Bratty plays at 8 p.m. on Feb. 29 at Songbyrd Music House, 540 Penn St. NE. songbyrddc.com. $18–$22. —Ella Feldman

Thursday: A Night of Women in Americana at Pearl Street Warehouse

Sometimes magic begins with a hashtag. D.C.-based singer-songwriter Jane O’Neill searched for the hashtag #queeramericana on Instagram, seeking other queer country, folk, and American roots musicians: The first artist she found was Philadelphia-based Brittany Ann Tranbaugh. “Historically, country and folk music has a lot of heterosexual narratives, and it’s cool that we can tell our stories,” O’Neill says. “We can tell love stories and paint these pictures. Besides a few artists, like Brandi Carlile, we don’t hear as many stories, especially the experiences of queer women in these genres.” O’Neill and Tranbaugh “became fast friends on social media,” O’Neill says, and after meeting in person when Tranbaugh played the Pocket last fall, the two artists started planning a show together. The resulting concert at Pearl Street Warehouse brings together O’Neill and Tranbaugh as co-headliners, each with a full band, and Nashville-based Mary Moore opening the show. Moore is a folk-pop dreamer with soaring vocals and beautiful melodies. Tranbaugh won the 2021 John Lennon Songwriting Contest for her song “Kiss You”—she is a powerful storyteller in her evocative, heartfelt songs with a rich, bountiful voice. And O’Neill, a Midwest transplant who lives in Dupont Circle and works full time in marketing and event planning, has really been ramping up her burgeoning musical career during the past year, playing at Songbyrd, Big Bear, and various Sofar Sounds Shows around the District. Earlier this month, O’Neill released her self-titled EP, a confident work devoted to different kinds of love—former flames, toxic exes, long-standing friendships, and self-love—told in intimate, vulnerable lyrics performed in different styles of Americana. “It’s gonna be a really magical night,” O’Neill promises. “It’s Leap Day, there are three women onstage, and there’s a lot of power in that.” Jane O’Neill, Brittany Tranbaugh, and Mary Moore play at 8 p.m. on Feb. 29 at Pearl Street Warehouse, 33 Pearl St. SW. pearlstreetwarehouse.com. $14. —Colleen Kennedy

Opens Saturday: Through the Sunken Lands at the Kennedy Center

Follow Artemis Through the Sunken Lands at the Kennedy Center this spring as she fights to save her town after a consuming flood. Artemis’ story, told in a musical, begins at the library, where she finds herself trapped and separated from her family. The library becomes her sanctuary—and a tool for finding out what’s in store for her town. As Artemis crafts an escape to her Aunt Maggie’s house, she learns of a local committee plotting to take over the town during its demise. Artemis enlists Maggie and a talking heron to resist the committee and take back control. The challenge takes Artemis on a journey of growth and enlightenment. Artemis, a wheelchair user, faces her disabilities and harnesses their power to rebuild after the flood. She finds strength in her character to persevere and save her town, Arcady. Through the Sunken Lands is adapted from Tim J. Lord’s radio play, which was commissioned in 2021 by the Kennedy Center to engage young audiences during the pandemic. Lord is part of the creative team behind the musical. “Disability isn’t a challenge that needs to be overcome—it’s something to celebrate as yet another thing that makes each of us unique and interesting humans,” Lord says in the Kennedy Center’s press release. On March 2, the artists and creative team behind the musical will share stories and answer questions after the performance. On March 9, the musical will be a sensory-free performance. Through the Sunken Lands opens March 2 and runs through March 17 at the Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW. kennedy-center.org. $20. —Anupma Sahay

Ends Sunday: Soomin Ham at Multiple Exposures Gallery

In her photography, Soomin Ham returns often to deeply personal imagery. In Recollections, her most recent solo exhibition at Multiple Exposures Gallery, Ham does so again, including repurposing works from a previous exhibit, Sound of Butterfly, in which she photographed her late mother’s possessions using stunningly creative techniques such as encasing the images in ice or leaving them out to be covered by falling snow. Recollections doesn’t have the same intense focus on grief; it’s more about her journey through “fragments and layers that shape a landscape of dreams, losses, and memories.” A major recurring theme in her current show is the contrast between light and dark; “Lights for the Fallen” pairs a washed-out portrayal of tombstones with an inky sky filled with twinkling stars, while the vertical diptych “East” and “West” twins portrayals of upside-down and right-side-up branches. Ham includes five images from her “Windows” series, notably a soft-toned stack of clouds hovering over a thin strip of land and a peaceful, pictorialist depiction of a family of ducks on the surface of a lake. Ham’s most enigmatic image may be “Once Upon a Time,” in which a series of footprint-like impressions recedes into the distance in the sand—or are they actually ascending into the sky? With Ham at her moodiest, it’s hard to be sure. Recollections runs through March 10 at Multiple Exposures Gallery at the Torpedo Factory Art Center, 105 N. Union St., Alexandria. Daily, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. multipleexposuresgallery.com. Free. —Louis Jacobson

Next Thursday: The Mother Hips at the Hamilton

California soul is a little upbeat, a little retro—a wonderful collision of surf and groove. This catchy, feel-good vibe, exploding with depth and texture, is delivered impeccably by the Mother Hips. Their genius is hard to pin into one category or another, but the band’s 30-year career can only be classified as great. Having caught the attention of super producer Rick Rubin, the Mother Hips released a new album last year called When We Disappear. It’s a perfect mix of bluesy rock and psychedelia, think juke joints along the Pacific Coast Highway, cowboy boots in the sand, next to surfboards and seagulls, reminiscent of when the Band moved to Malibu in the 1970s. This successful mixing of genres is why the Mother Hips have such a cult following. Highlights of When We Disappear include the title track, which offers an electric sound that’s also reminiscent of Bob Dylan and the Band’s The Basement Tapes, while “Spirit of ’98” carries the dissociative floating sense of Dark Side of the Moon paired with imagery of the wild west. And “Leaving the Valley” has all the smooth R&B makings to get you feeling a little groovy in your bell-bottoms, which you should wear when the Mother Hips bring their unique collision of psychedelic Americana music to the Capitol on March 7. The Mother Hips play at 9 p.m. on March 7 at the Hamilton Live, 600 14th St. NW. live.thehamiltondc.com. $20–$30. —Simone Goldstone