Me and Lauren made the trip to the west side of Manhattan last night to see our friends in Hellogoodbye (@itshellogoodbye) take the stage at Highline Ballroom to a mixed crowd of hipsters, teenage girls, and Jersey Shore douchebags.  It really was an eclectic crew.  If you’ve listened to the new Hellogoodbye record, Would It Kill You?, you’d understand exactly why this occurred.

Though I started listening to the Long Beach-based band nearly 6 years ago, it was only this past November that I discovered my newfound respect for the quintet.  With the release of their sophomore LP, they sent a clear message that this one was for them.  Without a label insisting another “Here (In Your Arms)”, Forrest Kline and company put out an unexpectedly indie-leaning album filled with ukulele, glockenspiel, and a slice of sunshine.

The balancing of old and new is where Hellogoodbye succeeded most during their show last night.  Their set was comprised mostly of songs off the new album, yet their teenage fans couldn’t have been disappointed as they whipped out their hits “Shimmy Shimmy Quarter Turn”, “Baby It’s Fact”, and “Here (In Your Arms)”.  Their renditions of “Finding Something To Do”, “When We First Met”, “Getting Old”, and “The Thoughts That Give Me The Creeps” were my personal favorites of the night as we recorded these songs with the band during my trip to California last December.

I’ll admit that the guys talked quite a bit during their set, and while this usually bothers me a lot, I found their jokes really funny and tasteful.  When it comes to their actual performance, it’s pretty damn clear why they’ve been so successful.  They’re brilliantly polished and radiate with a contagious, youthful spirit.  Don’t write off this band as the emo band you heard on MTV years ago.  They’re evolved into a far more dynamite gang of five and provided ample evidence of this Wednesday night.