By Isabel Liu
DC’s most down-bad gathered in the hallowed halls of 9:30 Club to witness Indigo De Souza play on Oct. 23.
De Souza had a way of making the venue feel smaller than it actually was, as if we all had convened to hear her profess her most intimate secrets. In “Be Like the Water,” De Souza emphasized the importance of speaking up when something is bothering you: “I won’t be sorry and I won’t be silent / I’m temporary, I am an island.” Her confessional lyrics quieted the audience and seemed to transport them to another place. Not even two songs in, my roommate started dissociating and thinking her deepest thoughts.
De Souza comfortably mixed humor with cynicism in her set. During “Ghosts” she sang: “And if you ghost on me again / These tits will ghost on you forever.” That’s certainly one way to put it!
As for the crowd, they seemed fairly happy for a concert featuring discography that was mostly depressing. The somber mood was lifted by De Souza’s bassist, who playfully interacted with the audience during a song break. “If you like onions, let me hear you scream,” he said. “If you don’t like onions, let me hear you say, ‘I don’t like onions!’” More people in the audience liked onions, if you were wondering.
Like a true artist, De Souza knew when she captivated the audience and could leverage her signature yodel-like delivery. In the upbeat anthem “Heartthrob,” De Souza laid down a manifesto of how she wants to live her life: “God, when I’m a grown-up / I wanna have a full cup / A true heartthrob.” Don’t I know it!
A definitive standout from De Souza’s set was “Real Pain.” Following the chorus, De Souza performed an insanely long vocal run, manipulating her voice like a siren while moving her hands up and down. “I wanna kick, wanna scream / I wanna know it’s not my fault,” De Souza sang. “I wanna know it’s not my fault.” I think I had to take a 30-second breather to process that.
Near the end of the set, De Souza reminded the audience why she writes and performs songs. “Thank you for listening to my music,” De Souza said to the crowd. “It makes me feel less alone, and I hope it makes you feel less alone too.”
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