Kickstarting ACL weekend 1, Spill Tab brought the mellow vibes we needed for an already-sweaty Friday. Claire Chicha is the face behind the LA-based alternative pop project known for coming-of-age themes and melodic experimentation. Clearly, Spill Tab was an obvious choice for the ACL stage.
A highlight early-on was the emotional “Velcro,” a track about not knowing yourself without another person. It became clear through her set that Chicha excels at relatability, speaking to more than a few of us with her tense track about situationships, “Doesn’t That Scare You.” But don’t let her affinity for melancholic songs get you down. Chicha kept our spirits high by cracking jokes with the crowd between tracks.
Through her set, Chicha walked the line between unrestrained angst and softness by switching between acoustic and electric guitar. This tension came to a head in the track, “by Design.” She traded acoustic for electric, all while breaking our hearts, in this regretful song about being willing to give so much to someone who won’t reciprocate. During the song, Chicha locked heads with Caleb on bass and ended up on the stage floor with him – a gesture as sexy as it was fun. Austin on keys held the fort down, while Gabe on drums showed out – for a few tracks, he swapped over from his traditional drum set to his electronic drum pad.
Rounding out the set was another gritty track, “PISTOLWHIP.” The recorded track is great, but Chicha played this jittery track with cool trepidation, cementing Spill Tab as a must-see on the stage.
Spill Tab balanced tenderness with anxiety in her set masterfully, setting the tone for an equally complicated weekend of sweat and wonder.
