Catharsis at the Royale with Indigo de Souza
By Lily Hartenstein
When Indigo de Souza (she/her) took the stage with her band at the Royale on Monday evening, fans went hysterical, crying out “I LOVE YOU”s as she adjusted her guitar strap. “Hell yeah,” she responded—her lyrics paint her as a person who doesn’t say I love you unless she absolutely means it. She then fell into a fit of giggles, soft and joyful, the type of sound that instantly brightens you. Still smiling, she started the first chords to her debut album’s opening track, “How I Get Myself Killed”.
de Souza was opened by the band Friendship, from Philadelphia, and Boston’s very own Horse Jumper of Love. Friendship is often described simply as “indie rock,” but I found their sound to have a distinctly country twang. They were missing guitarist Peter Gill (he/him) — “We had to leave Pete behind, he was sick” — but three remaining members held it down as frontman Dan Wright (he/him) strummed with ease. Their drummer, Mike Cormier (he/him), was particularly adorable, full of delight as he played; I’ve since been listening to his solo releases. For the final tracks, Friendship brought in de Souza’s guitarist Dexter Webb (he/him), elevating their sound to bring a sense of organized discord that I loved, building up tension until suddenly ending right at the peak.
Horse Jumper of Love played with a sense of seriousness, frontman Dimitri Giannopoulos (he/him) only cracking a smile in the final riffs of their closer “Orange Peel.” Banter was sparse, as Giannopoulos simply said “this is a new one,” or “this one is old” before a song. When the crowd screamed out for drummer Jamie Vadala-Doran (he/him), Giannopoulos asked if there were any townies in the crowd. “Forest Hills,” he said, indicating himself, “West Roxbury,” at Vadala-Doran, “and Dorchester,” pointing to bassist John Margaris (he/him). The earnestness of their stage presence reflected their music: Horse Jumper of Love’s lyrics may be cryptic and indirect, but coupled with the band’s hazy sound, both anxious and calming, makes them an incredibly compelling act.
I’ve been a fan of Indigo De Souza since “Take Off Ur Pants” found its way into my playlists in high school; as a Type A wallflower with undiagnosed hypomanic episodes, I’d never heard anything so accurate to the specific tensions of my angst and desire. Indigo’s songwriting is brilliant in the waves of emotion she harnesses, each song bringing a moment of exhilarating release. That ebb and flow was even more spellbinding live, de Souza building from soft croons to noisy shreds and back again, controlling the audience like the moon does the tide. I was utterly entranced, and almost taken aback at the power of de Souzas voice. While I’ve always adored her as a songwriter, it wasn’t until she was performing insane vocal runs in front of me that I understood how truly talented she is.
On “What Are We Going to Do Now,” she drifted to high pitches, airy and delightful, and back down to the soft chant of the chorus. For “Way Out,” she broke into Fiona Apple-esque undulations, a totally different take than the song I knew from its recording (and I’m obsessed with it). During “Always,” the only song performed that wasn’t from I Love My Mom (2018) or her 2021 release Any Shape You Take, she started screaming while jumping up and down, shredding with her band.
As she sang, de Souza filled the room; not only her voice, but her presence was larger than life. Between tracks, she seemed to shrink down, becoming a small figure on stage as she crouched down to retune her guitar. Her voice was shy when she addressed the crowd, musing about her sister’s recent birth of twins or letting us know there was a table available at the show with resources to connect anyone interested with a therapist. “I still haven’t found the right one,” she nervously laughed. She began each song with a giggle, erupting into a huge smile as the audience started singing along with her.
The highlight of the show, hands down, was the performance of “Real Pain.” One of my favorites from Any Shape You Take, in the album’s version the tempo slows and instruments fade as de Souza sings the word “going” over and over again, screams building behind her until it is a wall of unadulterated emotion. When performed live, the crowd became that wall, shrieking and crying out. It sounded like joy and rage all at once, and I laughed as I screamed along, until the release of de Souza singing “I wanna kick, wanna scream, I wanna know it's not my fault” and the instruments returned. The entire crowd started jumping to the rest of the track, all of us feeling lighter after the auditory release.
de Souza’s chemistry with her band is beyond endearing to witness. She often turned her back on the audience to face her partner and drummer Avery Sullivan (he/him), the two of them playing only to each other. And though she directly interacted with Webb and bassist Zack Kardon (he/him) less, the two of them frequently cast her looks of admiration, reflecting my very same sense of awe. All four of them gave each other awkward side eyes as de Souza stepped to the mic after “Good Heart”: “This is awkward to say but it’s more awkward if we don’t say it.” They all laughed. “But we don’t really believe in encores. They’re overdone, at this point, right?”
With that, they launched into “Kill Me,”an incredible conclusion to the night, everyone in the audience screaming the final lyrics “tell them that I wasn’t having much fun” over and over, not wanting it to end. Obviously, at the Indigo de Souza show, much fun was had.