Luxury Suite – Sparrows / Starry Eyes (Evalina)
Luxury Suite might be a fresh addition to the Rochester marquee, but the DNA here is strictly local royalty. Featuring alumni from previous blog favorites SPORTS and Cottage Jefferson, the new group feels like a logical, sonic handshake between those two previous projects. They manage to fuse the angular, dancey post-punk rhythms of the former with the distinct jangle-pop sensibilities of the latter. It’s a sound that nods respectfully to New Wave titans—think the rhythmic elasticity of Talking Heads meeting the melodic jangle of The Smiths—while keeping a power-pop edge that recalls early Elvis Costello. After a summer of tightening up the set on stage, they’ve finally dropped their debut studio efforts, produced and engineered by fellow Rochester staples Josh Netsky and Sam Snyder of Maybird.
“Sparrows” serves as the high-energy introduction. It’s got a kinetic, upbeat drive where the guitars do a lot of the heavy lifting, chiming in with a brightness that channels Johnny Marr at his most melodic. Ian Proper’s vocals cut through that mix with a perfect bit of sneer, locking in with a rhythm section that keeps the whole thing buoyant and boppy. It’s catchy without trying too hard, especially when the harmonies tighten up on the chorus line: “Hey I got a lot / hey I got a lot of time / what’s mine is yours.” The production here is really crisp, maintaining the fun of their live show while giving the vocal melody plenty of space to breathe.
They pivot effectively on the B-side, “Starry Eyes (Evalina),” slowing the tempo for something much more atmospheric. It’s a croony ballad that leaves room for the vocals to take center stage, though those jangly guitars are still present, just painting with broader strokes this time around. It creates a specific mood—less urgent than “Sparrows,” but entirely cohesive with the band’s aesthetic. The track differentiates itself in the final stretch, letting the vocals fall away for a fitting, minute-and-a-half instrumental peak that rides the atmosphere out to a fade. As a debut pair, these singles do a great job of introducing a band that seems to already know exactly who they are. We’re excited to hear more.
Categorised in: New Music, Rochester
This post was written by Ronald Walczyk