Past Echo Park and lying near the underpass of a poorly lit bridge, a small venue is tucked behind dark storefronts. Late last Saturday night the Echoplex set the stage for Wild Belle, a Chicago band whose nostalgic melodies channel African and synth-based influences.
Siblings Elliot and Natalie Bergman formed their band accidentally after unintentionally creating several songs together. Elliot’s early band, NOMO, featured Afrobeats and Jazz influences. His musical prowess parallel to Natalie’s smoky vocals created a common ground that would become Wild Belle.
On Saturday, the group romanced the crowd into the early morning with their bass heavy reggae set. Natalie purred and growled beneath glittering disco balls to such heartache-ridden gems as “Keep You” and “Too Late”. The soul that is depicted through their songs was made more evident by the saxophone Elliot periodically donned, as Natalie lamented her lover “sleepin in the shanty of a brand new girl”.
The sold out show marked a milestone for the dewy performers who were fresh off the set for their latest music video “Another Girl”, a video echoing the visual feast that sparked the infatuation with Lana Del Rey. The director tried to capture what he referred to as “the fever dream of a jealous lover”. The lady Bergman chose to film in the desert because she believed it exemplified the story within the song, lonesome and beautiful.
The band began receiving acclaim before their first album, Isles, debuted in March of this year. Despite being relatively new, you might recognize the duo from the numerous festivals they performed at, such as Lollapalooza and Outside Lands.
The album Isles speaks the language of heartbreakers and their victims with eloquent prose marked by the distant howling of both vocalist and musician. Incorporating synth, African beats, reggae, and funk the band creates a fusion that transports its audience with a style that is both nostalgic and foreign, rebellious and fragile. The album holds your attention until the final fade away, which leaves the listener feeling infatuated beyond reason.