Poliça have come a long way in the past year. When they played the Paradise last September, the Minnesota act opened for Clap Your Hands Say Yeah — and it was one of their first shows ever. A true product of Minneapolis's mega-talented music scene, Poliça emerged last summer as a collaboration between songwriter Channy Leaneagh, formerly of folk-rock band Roma di Luna, and producer Ryan Olson. Leaneagh had done backing vocals in Olson's 25-piece R&B supergroup Gayngs, and, when Roma di Luna broke up, came to Olson for advice on some solo songs.Poliça's dark, rhythm-driven pop is both catchy and complex, full of hooks and sonic influences from trip-hop, jazz, and R&B. "The band is a collage," says Leaneagh. "A balance is important in all processes, in all creation." That balance can be heard in the dynamic they set up between the human and the digital: Leaneagh's stage presence and Olson's ghostly behind-the-scenes production; Leaneagh's soulful vocals and the cool veneer of Auto-Tune she layers over them; the live energy of a full band, which includes double drumming by Drew Christopherson and Ben Ivascu, and the smooth electronics that tie it all together. For a band that has two songs with "star" in the title, Poliça end up sounding surprisingly down to earth.
Poliça's debut album, Give You the Ghost, dropped last winter off Totally Gross National Product Records. Since then, they've won over Jay-Z and Justin Vernon, stood out among the chaos at SXSW, played a sold-out show at Great Scott, were named best new band in Minnesota in our annual 50 Bands 50 States summer feature, landed an August performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and signed to Mom & Pop Records. This fall, Poliça heads out on a month-long tour around the US and a three-week tour of Europe, hitting major festivals like Austin City Limits and Crossing Border Fest. On October 5, Poliça return to one of their very first live environments, the Paradise. Only this time, they're headlining.
SEE THEM LIVE: POLICA + GARDENS AND VILLA:: PARADISE ROCK CLUB, 967 COMM AVE, BOSTON :: OCTOBER 5 @ 8 PM :: 18+ :: $15 :: 617.562.8800 OR THEDISE.COM
NINA MASHUROVA :: @NEONSIGH
