The Ivy & Lyncs Transformed Chicago’s Subterranean into a Dreamy, Retro-Modern Synth-Pop Soundscape for a Sold-Out Spring Tour Show
- Abby Anderson
- Apr 8
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 10
On a moody, cloud-covered Saturday night in Chicago, indie band The Ivy shimmered through a gold-flecked headlining set of dreamy synth-pop and stunning lo-fi rock, casting a glow over the dimly lit, grungy-chic Subterranean. With support from dreamy-pop artist and producer Lyncs, The Ivy transformed the historic Wicker Park venue into a retro-modern holy ground for exceptional music during a sold-out stop on their spring tour across North America.
Following a set from local Chicago-based artist Kelsey Montanez, Lyncs preluded the glimmering nostalgia of The Ivy by entrancing the audience with her world of ruminative pop songs. Decked out in chunky, spiky combat boots and a subtly-glittery eyeshadow, Lyncs herself appeared as a symbol of the duality of her music. Opening her set with emotionally-charged, lo-fi songs "miss u" and "Quarter After," she only grew stronger as she built to groovier, dancier hits like "Dancing on the Freeway" and "SICK + SIN." Seamlessly switching between grounding herself in her acoustic guitar and her chorded mic, Lyncs delicately balanced losing herself in every lyric she sang and extending each one out to the audience to take hold of for themselves. For her penultimate song, Lyncs introduced "I LIVE IN THIS BODY," asking the audience to wrap their arms around themselves in an embrace of gratitude while sharing her celebration of a week since the song's release. Leaving the audience on a high, Lyncs closed out her set with cheeky "How to Cure a Heart Attack," shining and smiling through every whip-smart lyric, before promising to find herself back in Chicago sometime very soon.
There was hardly a lull between sets as The Ivy transformed the dark Subterranean stage into a luminescent, bohemian oasis built to channel their dreamy synth-pop sonic atmosphere. From the opening synth of "Hurts Just Right," Wyatt and Shawn were masters of their craft, with Shawn picking up the keys, synths, and bass and Wyatt carrying guitar and vocals (backed by their drummer, Jordan Lynch, who doubles as their photographer). The Ivy soared through every piece of their set with a tangible comfort and confidence that can only be conjured by artists who live and breathe their art. Creating a cohesion through their set that speaks to the quality of the band's discography, Shawn's multidimensional talent in creating a sonic atmosphere to compliment Wyatt's rich, powerhouse vocal talent allowed deeper cuts like "Records" and "It Was Always You" to flow seamlessly with newer synth-rock tunes like "Gums Lost Flavor," "Street Dog," and "Good Faith."
The Ivy also allowed room to breathe in their set, creating moments of tangible connection amidst the ebb and flow of their shimmering sonic element. Dimming the lights and allowing the retro-technicolor backlight to dapple the stage in a romantically hazy atmosphere emphasized the tangibilty of reminiscent "Have You Ever Been in Love." Pulling the audience closer into one of their biggest hits, Wyatt took to the edge of the stage during the song's stellar guitar solo bridge, and Shawn laughed while accepting a plush doll from a fan at the end of the song to put on his synth keyboard. The reappearance of Lyncs to perform The Ivy's latest release and collaboration, "Don't Fall Asleep to This," felt like an intimate window into the song's conception and the artists' bond on tour, with Lyncs picking up Shawn's bass to compliment her harmonies and Wyatt intertwining his vocal seamlessly while strumming Lyncs's acoustic guitar.
Climbing ever-higher through The Ivy's connection to music, Wyatt jokingly invited the audience to throw caution to the wind pull closer to the stage as they reached the last chapter of their set, giving the band a new life as they soared through nostalgic "Thirty Eight" and "Broad Shoulders." As the notes of fan-favorite closer "Gold," reverberated through the space, it felt as if the universal fate that Wyatt and Shawn dreamed to life with The Ivy had come to fruition - carefree dancing from the sold-out crowd, extraordinary pitch perfection emanating from every lyric sung, strum of a guitar, and pressing of a piano key, and a radiant, unspoken connection between two people who have poured their entire creative souls into creating a small corner of the universe where nothing mattered more than the glistening power of the music they've created together.
The Ivy Spring 2025 Tour Dates
March 25 - Albuquerque, NM @ Juno
March 26 - Tucson, AZ @ Groundworks
March 27 - San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
March 28 - Los Angeles, CA @ Scribble
March 31 - Denver, CO @ Lost Lake Lounge
April 1 - Lincoln, NE @ Duffy's Tavern
April 2 - Kansas City, MO @ recordBar
April 3 - Milwaukee, WI @ X-Ray Arcade
April 4 - Indianapolis, IN @ Hoosier Dome
April 5 - Chicago, IL @ Subterranean
April 6 - Cleveland, OH @ The Foundry
April 8 - Toronto, ON @ The Drake Underground
April 9 - Montreal, QC @ L'Escogriffe Bar Spectacle
April 11 - Boston, MA @ The Rockwell
April 12 - Brooklyn, NY @ Alphaville
April 14 - Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie
April 15 - Washington D.C. @ Pie Shop
April 16 - Richmond, VA @ The Camel
April 17 - Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
April 18 - Atlanta, GA @ Altar at the Masquerade
April 19 - Nashville, TN @ Exit/In
April 21 - Tulsa, OK @ Vanguard
April 22 - Dallas, TX @ Ruins
April 23 - San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE IVY:
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT LYNCS:
