Get Ready to Pop With Mates of State Tonight [La Zona Rosa, With Black Kids]

Mates of State are regulars in Austin. Each year they show up to perform at a festival and/or a few headlining gigs peppered around town. But the sun-kissed charm of this poppy duo never gets old for us. Husband-wife team Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel are the only two members of Mates of State, but they deliver ringing harmonies each time, with only the sounds from their vocal chords, drums and an organ (or keys). They tricked us all by going sans organ for their latest album, Re-Arrange Us, and we can't wait to see what they have in store for the next album. When we chatted with them at ACL last year, they weren't really sure what was down the road, but maybe tonight's show will leak some new material. Wishful thinking aside, the show should be a good pick-me-up for the crappy weather and Pigdemic currently plaguing these parts.

Black Kids, another cheery-to-the-max indie rock group, will bring some more tart-filled love songs to the docket. Their crowd-pleasing single, "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You" is indeed intoxicating, but “Listen to Your Body Tonight” is a far better representation of the band’s talent beyond sheer danceability. The blending of peppy vocals and fiery synthpop make us wonder if they're just hopping with the latest trends, but perhaps they'll be able to stand the test of time.

As if this concert wasn't cutesy enough, the opening act is actually called Sunbears. Coming in from Florida, the Sunbears sounds like a less-electronic version of Passion Pit. We're curious to see how their live performance will supplement the two big gigs to follow. Don't forget yer dancin' shoes because there will be plenty of reason for toe-tapping at La Zona Rosa tonight.

Mates of State MySpace Black Kids MySpace Sunbears MySpace