Coupleskate Sweeps Us Off Our Feet

By Tankboy in Arts & Entertainment on Feb 13, 2009 6:15PM

Coupleskate was a band that rolled across our radar a while ago, but we won't lie to you ... we forgot all about 'em. And then we saw this week's Time Out Chicago and one of the gals within reminded us of the band's existence. Then ex-Chicagoist / current TOC staffer Scott Smith reminded us we had once looked into booking the band said gal was in for a previous CTRL-ALT-ROCK and it all came flooding back to us. This underscored the peril of being an infrequently gigging but obscenely talented local band ... you risk falling off the view screen.

But we appear to have buried the lede, huh?

Coupleskate plays The Empty Bottle tonight to celebrate the release of their first proper full-length, thrusting themselves back into the spotlight. We threw in the album and were immediately struck by how sonically aligned the band was with that mid-'90s D.C.-centered Teenbeat sound. Crunchy guitars make way for girl group vocals but don't mistake this as twee. This band has moxie and swagger and aren't afraid to stomp all over your ears to make their point.

Right when you think you have Coupleskate pegged as a mighty fine band full o' pop-rocks they unleash the epic title track to Don't Scare The Horses, and blow your preconceptions away as the music swells to oceanic proportions. This band is no one trick pony, and they're not gonna dip below our radar ever again.

Coupleskate plays tonight, Friday, February 13 with Euphone and Reds & Blue at The empty Bottle, 1035 N Western, 10 p.m., $8, 21+