Indie rock duo Twen play the Cobalt this Spring with support from Monsoon and bloom effect! Twen is a van-lifeing rock band that emerged onto the east coast music scene in 2017 with their distinct blend of shoegaze, indie rock, and post-punk influences. Though the band was formed in 2016 by lead vocalist Jane Fitzimmons and guitarist Ian Rollins Jones, their emergence post-pandemic has marked the beginning of what is essentially an entirely new project; save for their keeping the name “Twen”. This latest chapter is marked by the band booking their own tours, designing and screen printing their own merch, directing and editing their own music videos, and producing and mixing their own albums; all to a degree which would seem impossible to believe, if you didn’t know that they also built their own mobile-home from scratch and have been living in it, traversing the North American continent for the past 3 years. The duo-led 5 piece are readying their 3rd LP to be released in 2024, but have already debuted lead single ‘SeaStar’; an early 00’s throwback to Southern California beach anthems that finds the band further evolving from the coy, shoegaze aesthetics of ‘Awestruck’ (2019) – to a modern classicism; characterized on their 2nd LP ‘One Stop Shop’ (2022) by political (yet hopeful) lyrics, indelible hooks and a home-grown sonic mix that rewards the listener with each subsequent spin. With over 350 shows under their belt across North America and Europe, including arena appearances supporting Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Wet Leg, Whitney, Tacocat, & White Reaper, Twen’s live show exhibits their all-around relevance as a DIY rock band thriving in the digital age. This is the part where I have to tell you about the band and pretend an outside source wrote something really flattering in the passage below. Unfortunately no one ever said anything nice about us, so here I go. “Monsoon is a really good two piece band from Athens, Ga.” Don’t worry, it’s not the kind of indie rock where I stand still enough for my own drool to slobber down onto my obscure reverb pedal. I work on shows and schedule an unhealthy amount of touring so that we don’t ever have to go back to our day jobs. And he is the mechanic to our beloved Honda Odyssey which doubles as our mobile home on the road. We can’t afford a big van or hotels, nor do either one of us have many friends across America (as we don’t typically like people). So not many floors to crash on between the two. Sleeping/living in the minivan is how we make everything work financially and continue to be the great DIY rock band that we are today. Since you asked. In 2016 we were placed on a Toyota commercial that aired during the Superbowl . Pretty insane moment for a small local punk band. We didn’t get rich or famous like we wanted to, but I think it’s still something to be proud of. After that, we both reconnected after a depressing hiatus, and now Monsoon tours all over the universe connecting with others through the power of music. Thanks for being apart of it. You all are why we do it. Vancouver band bloom effect delivers maximalist dreamgaze, built on towering walls of sound and multilingual vocals. Fresh off tours across Eastern Canada and Europe, and with their latest EP oscilón earning praise from KEXP and NPR, the band continues carving out its place as one of the country’s most compelling shoegaze voices. bloom effect’s music is just that: a soft, radiant flare cutting through the noise. “A reminder to look up, feel deeply, and be here now.”