For a band that were great from the start, Singapore-based Sobs have come a long way. When they dropped their debut in the form of 2018’s Telltale Signs, their sound was standard indie-rock fare, a cozy riff on R.E.M. and Beat Happening. The band’s members, who originally got together thanks to a music forum called SOFT, point to bands like Hole and Weezer as influences. Since Telltale Signs, Sobs has layered in shades of Japanese-style city pop and ’80s new wave. Much of their growth comes thanks in part to singer Celine Autumn’s experiments with a hyperpop side project called Cayenne. In Cayenne, Autumn played with the idea of being a more deconstructionist electro artist, like Charli XCX or SOPHIE. Some of that experimental spirit backwashed into Sobs. Although they still sound more like Mudhoney than Blackpink, Sobs also have a jolt of Asian pop energy these days. Take, for example, the burst of arcade excess at the end of “Friday Night” from their most recent album, Air Guitar, which guitarist Raphael Ong describes as being inspired by the soundtracks for the Sonic the Hedgehog games. These days, Sobs are one of the most prominent bands in Singapore’s burgeoning rock scene. Other notable acts include Cosmic Child and Subsonic Eye, which features Sobs’ other guitarist, Jared Lim. Sobs play at 8 p.m. on March 8 at DC9. dc9.club. $15. —Will Lennon
Sobs
