Show Review: Stef Chura (Soda Bar, 7/26/2019)

After her latest album Midnight, Stef Chura secured her footing in the indie rock scene as a name to look out for in 2019 and onward. Her sound teeters in the crosshairs of indie rock, garage pop, grunge, and even the vocals give it a tinge of folk. What you get after mixing all that is powerful, female-fronted don’t-tell-me that demands your full attention.

Diving deeper into Midnight specifically, themes circle around self-expression, wrangling (and dominating) whatever life hurls at you, and overall realistic optimism. It’s a refreshing look at some very raw emotions and changes, doused in Chura’s sharp and wavering voice.

Unlike Stef Chura’s 2017 entirely-solo album Messes, the new release (out 6/7/19) was largely influenced by producer Will Toledo (of Car Seat Headrest). On Midnight he contributed to guitar, synths, piano, wrote and played all the basslines, and co-wrote and sang on the duet, “Sweet Sweet Midnight.” Will’s inclusion on the album brings an element that swings open the door of Chura’s bedroom-bubble habitat and polishes it, all while preserving her artistic ear.

Stef Chura kicked off tour just a few days ago, with dates touching cities all across the United States and Canada. Immediately following her national route, Chura will be taking off for the European leg of the summer/fall tour. Grab tickets and see the full list of dates here.

On stop number two ahead of the marathon of shows lined up, Stef Chura visited San Diego’s Soda Bar with flavorful openers French Vanilla (spunky no-wave) and Lunch Lady (frolicking surf-grunge). The band and Chura got right into it with the full-throttle of Method Man‘s opening chords, a personal favorite of mine off the new album. From that point onward Chura’s shrill voice revved up the room’s energy, each song snowballing into the next. Her infectious and charming quirky stage presence provided a healthy balance to the (mostly drunken) weekend crowd’s enthusiasm. Wrangling the mania in the audience was a feat in itself, and Chura keeping a cool demeanor throughout quite literally demonstrated what her music’s all about.