Love You Later Live at the Moroccan Lounge
I’ve been a fan of Lexi’s for nearly two years now and have watched her grow into the fierce, confident, and unstoppable artist now known by her pseudonym Love You Later. A fun twist on indie pop, her music is the kind to be played at full blast in the car, the kind that makes you feel powerful and existential at the same time, that, if it were a color, would bleed pink. Seeing her perform live at the Moroccan Lounge in Los Angeles on June 21 was an otherworldly experience, not just because I was able to finally see one of my favorite artists live, but also because her energy, performance, and audience interaction made it one of the best concerts I’ve been to in my life.
The night kicked off with an opening set from the up-and-coming indie rock band Hardcastle, who, thanks to their head-banging and body-thrashing music, set the stage for what would soon become an unforgettable night. Soon after their set, the speaker played an announcement informing “passengers” to get ready for take-off, a reference to her recently released EP, From the Window Seat (to my delight and the crowd, these announcements would repeat two more times in slightly different variations to mark transitions in the set, which I found so creative). Lexi then came bounding onto the stage wearing none other than a white tank with a large, seemingly handsewn pink star, a purple overshirt, jeans with a multi-colored star print, and a shiny pair of cowboy boots, emitting huge cheers from the crowd. She began the concert with a gorgeous rendition of the first track off her EP, “Girl With the Headphones,” a personal favorite of mine for its unique backing track, bounciness, otherworldly feel, and cleverly written lyrics. From the beginning, I knew we were in for something special.
Intimately knowing the set list songs undoubtedly made the evening much more fun, more than it already would’ve been, but it was seeing Lexi dancing and letting loose both while and after singing that made the night memorable. It was a small stage but she really took advantage of the space, carrying herself with confidence, grace, and playfulness that made her hard to look away from and hard to believe she would truly belong anywhere else. She touched hands with people in the front row, waved and shouted out friends, chatted in between songs, and just generally danced with so much carefree energy it was like watching her groove along to her music in her bedroom. It truly felt that intimate, all in the best way.
I thoroughly enjoyed her renditions of her slower songs like “Emily” and “Growing Season,” both of which were from her early days as an artist and felt like a special gift to her OG listeners. The songs are nostalgic in their nature through their lyrics but while she was singing, it also felt like nostalgia for her younger self.
But for me, the moments that felt the most special were when we all felt compelled to dance thanks to the party energy of many of her songs, from “PCH Rollercoaster” to “Keepintouch.” Frankly, it was a bit difficult to get a read on everyone’s energy at first but by the last song, everyone was truly letting go and dancing like a huge dance party was taking place in the room. I count myself among those in the front row who were jumping around and absolutely losing their minds. To transform a room like that, to open an audience in such a short time, is no small feat, and yet she did it so gracefully and effortlessly. I’m already so excited to see her perform live again and make magic just with herself, a mic and her music.