It’s hard to imagine anyone else making the line “smashing 40s in the parking lot” sound as otherworldly as Margaret McCarthy does. On “How I Used to Dance,” the opening number on her band Moontype’s second studio album I Let the Wind Push Down On Me, the phrase has an angelic lull, cast over muted piano and warbling synths that make it feel both cozy and alien at once. Moontype has a penchant for imbuing surprising images like this with reverential grace. It’s something they share with fellow Chicagoan and current tourmate Owen Ashworth, whose Omnichord-tinged tracks have melted hearts first under the name Casiotone for the Painfully Alone and lately as Advance Base. On his latest album, Horrible Occurrences, one of the most heartwrenching moments strikes as a character is watching Jackass on his phone; on Etiquette, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, a character goes cruising at Nashville’s Parthenon. On Feb. 18, their tour comes to Drkmttr with support from Joe Kenkel of Styrofoam Winos, whose latest solo album Naturale finds meaning in breezes and sweeping the floor.
8 p.m. at Drkmttr
1111 Dickerson Pike
