By David Reda 

redadavi@grinnell.edu

On Friday night, for the first time this semester, Gardner Lounge will once again become a concert venue. Kicking things off in style is My Gold Mask (MGM), an indie rock duo from Chicago. Characterized by the strong vocals of the female lead/drummer Gretta Rochelle, the band’s sound is minimalistic and fairly unique. Their songs are slightly on the dark side—the video to their signature song ‘Violet Eyes’ features burning houses and creepy dolls moving to Gretta’s lyrics, “I like driving nails into your heart.”

While there are plenty other bands that might sound like MGM at times, none of them sound quite the same. Imagine if Bat for Lashes sang with the xx and the whole thing had a faint touch of that riot grrrl sound. That’s kind of what of MGM sounds like.

At this point you might be saying to yourself “Wait, I haven’t heard about My Gold Mask before. Does that mean I’m not hip anymore?” Fear not, MGM has only released a couple of EPs so far, though they have already opened for the likes of Blonde Redhead and The New Pornographers. Who knows, they could be another of the bands that make it big after playing at Grinnell-like Fleet Foxes or Fucked Up, for example. It must be something about the corn.

So if you want to see a great young band on the rise or you simply miss the mosh pits, the silly dancing and the security peer-personnel, be at Gardner this Friday at nine!

Unknown Component, a DIY singer-songwriter from Des Moines, will open the night.