argonaut&wasp at Webster Hall

The move from Burlington to Brooklyn must have included more than a few dance steps. Vocalist Trey Schibli and synthesizer player Theo Klein met as college students in Vermont in 2012 and began working together on music that bridged pop and electronic dance music. Gradually the music started incorporating waves of house, trap, funk and disco. Schibli, a fan of the early 20th century journalist Ambrose Bierce, named the band argonaut&wasp after a column Bierce wrote called The Argonaut and the Wasp. Schibli and Klein relocated to New York City, recorded a slew of danceable original songs and, over the past five years, amassed over 15 million streams. argonaut&wasp's third and most recent EP, Heartbreak Disco, was released on February 1, 2019.

argonaut&wasp landed the opening slot on Miami Horror's current concert tour, which hit Webster Hall tonight. Expanding to a quartet with the addition of bassist Alec Donkin and drummer Chris Corsico, the band married electro synth-pop and funk grooves to pop melodies for a bright and bouncy sound that recalled summer moonlight dance parties. Layers of silky smooth soundscapes made for intriguing arrangements. Overall, the band's performance appealed to younger audiences; the music would need more darkness or edge to attract the interest of older music fans.