saoirse dream plays Not Not in Chicago in support of her new album "grimdark"

saoirse dream performed at Not Not in Chicago on Sunday, February 25, in support of her new album grimdark. This is her fourth full-length album, and she was joined at the Humboldt Park area venue for support by Anita Velveeta and Left at London.

saoirse dream was not able to perform vocals due to her loss of voice, however, that did not slow the energy of the crowd or the performance. She still put on a stellar show as she strummed on guitar and remarked that she was able to play more parts on guitar than she would have while singing.

The vocals of the set were split between the two Chicago based artists jane foster and leastfavorite! of the collective webcage. The DIY ethos of the hyperpop community were on full display as the crowd packed into a loft for the night.

grimdark and saoirse dream, her self titled album, were made alongside each other. This can be seen in interpolations to her other music such as in the title track “grimdark.” Fittingly, saoirse dream started her set off with “catherine never broke again” a high-energy track off of her self titled album before fading into “initialize.” She later performed “death vs. dying” which is the first track off of grimdark and plays to a video game-esque beat.

Longtime fans of hyperpop often claim the scene is unrecognizable compared to the late PC Music sounds of digicore, circa 2021. I do not agree — saoirse dream is the perfect example of someone who evolved the sound of the era. The hyperpop community is alive and well in Chicago.