Charly Bliss’ debut full-length Guppy was one of the best records released in 2017. That’s not hyperbole — more than a dozen music blogs and publications put the album on their year-end lists. The A.V. Club, Bandcamp Daily, Noisey, Stereogum, Billboard … they all placed Guppy near the top. The band’s fuzzy, crunchy guitar hooks appealed to punk fans, and their Weezer-esque harmonies appealed to too-nostalgic-for-their-own-good pop fans. Couple all that with the endless energy of singer Eva Hendricks, who bounces around the stage like a 25-cent rubber ball, and it’s no surprise Charly Bliss was tapped for tours with and opening slots for Sleater-Kinney, Veruca Salt, Death Cab for Cutie and more. It’s the kind of successful debut that could crush a lesser band incapable of facing the pressure. But Charly Bliss did it — they managed to follow up their stellar debut with another home run, Young Enough. A band that once felt reckless now feels measured, with songs soaked in synths (opening track “Blown to Bits” and “The Truth”) and lightly dusted with the sheen of mainstream pop (am I crazy to think that the title track could’ve been a Katy Perry or Miley Cyrus song?). But the awkward, figuring-out-this-thing-called-life charm of Charly Bliss is still strong in Hendricks’ lyrics. Are they the perfect band? They might be the perfect band. Opening the show is Emily Reo, a classically trained vocalist who released the immersive, experimental pop album Only You Can See It earlier this year. 8 p.m. at Mercy Lounge, 1 Cannery Row MEGAN SELING
Charly Bliss w/Emily Reo
