the groovement

By Emma Hug Rosenstein | September 21, 2023

Alternative singer, Tim Atlas, brought down the house with a sold out performance at The Mercury Lounge on September 15th. This show was the second stop on his tour and close to his heart as he has recently resided in Brooklyn. Atlas released his debut album in 2013 and has been making music ever since. His newest release, Le Soir, a six-song album that came out in 2023, is also the title of his headline tour.

Friday night began at the Mercury Lounge with the sun already set; just minutes before Tim Atlas was set to come on, the room was packed with fans. People were sporting his “Courtside” t-shirts, the white fabric illuminated in the dark room. One fan snaked through the crowd and chanted, “Tim, Tim, Tim” with his hand in the air, excited for Tim’s arrival on stage.

Atlas’ set began with the intro to Olivia Rodrigo’s “Good 4 U” blasting through the speakers. The audience was already excited about this song choice, unaware that it was his opening. The song began to slow down and remix into a slow electronic beat as Atlas came up the stairs and into the spotlight. The decibel level reached its peak as the crowd cheered and clapped when the lights hit his face, and the opening song began.

As Atlas began, all of the audience members pulled out their phones and started recording. He came on stage in an oversized gray hoodie, the hood billowing over his head as he grooved to the beat. Right before his entrance in the song, he pulled down the hood and said into the mic, “What’s up New York?”

Throughout the set, he played a variety of songs from his discography, including “Compromised,” “Wallflower,” and “Color World,” a popular single from 2018. His electronic high energy songs are wrapped with an important message in the lyrics. Throughout the set, the central drum beat in each song was so powerful that it was impossible not to feel, resonating through the body and hypnotizing the audience. From the back of the Mercury Lounge, the dark, moving bodies looked like waves in the sea. The high energy show generated so much electricity it circled through the room with the music. Atlas finished his set with “Courtside,” his most popular song on Spotify, with over 32 million streams. The crowd cheered and gave him verbal encouragement as the set ended and people flooded out onto Houston St. at the end of the night.

Tim Atlas finishes his tour October 6th, so catch him while you can.