Poliça at the Raccoon Motel -- July 19.
Tuesday, July 19, 7 p.m.
Raccoon Motel, 315 East Second Street, Davenport IA
Making a stop in Davenport in support of their most recent album Madness – a work crafted during the early months of the pandemic that demonstrates, as AllMusicCom. stated, that the musicians “were evolving even when the world seemed to come to a standstill” – the synth-pop and alt-rock talents of Poliça headline a Raccoon Motel concert on July 19, the group noted for such Billboard-charting hits as “Dark Star,” “Lay Your Cards Out,” and “Chain My Name.”
Formed in Minneapolis in 2011, Poliça is composed of Channy Leaneagh (vocals, synth), Chris Bierden (bass), Drew Christopherson (drums), and Ben Ivascu (drums), with Ryan Olson joining the band in a studio context as its producer. The origins of the band were found in Ryan Olson's Gayngs project, where Leaneagh was featured as a backing singer. After working together on some musical and lyrical ideas, Olson convinced Leaneagh to record the songs over the summer of 2011 with an R&B sound. While experimenting with various vocal effects, the duo drafted Bierden, Christopherson, and Ivascu to complete the sessions that also featured a guest-appearance by Mike Noyce of Bon Iver. With Olson declining to be part of a live set-up, Poliça made their live debut at Minneapolis' now-closed venue Nick & Eddie in September, and also made the songs "Dark Star" and "Lay Your Cards Out (featuring Mike Noyce)" available on their Web site. For the rest of 2011, the ensemble toured, partly as support to Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and also also received support from Bon Iver founder Justin Vernon, who told Rolling Stone, "They're the best band I've ever heard."
The group's album debut Give You the Ghost was released on Valentine's Day of 2012 on Totally Gross National Product, a local community-based label founded by Christopherson and Ryan Olson. In March of the same year, the musicians played at SXSW in Austin, leading NPR to write, "Where Give You the Ghost gives the suggestion of a subdued live presence, Poliça's stage show heads to somewhere approaching the opposite extreme — a welcome jolt of beauty and power." That summer, the band toured parts of Europe and played a handful of festivals together with Bon Iver, and in August, it was announced that Poliça had signed with Mom + Pop records, re-released their album debut alongside a remix EP. In October, they returned to the United Kingdom for an appearance on Later... with Jools Holland and a 16-date UK/European tour, and over the nearly 10 years since, Poliça has five additional albums: 2013's Shulamith, 2016's United Crushers, 2018's Music for the Long Emergency (with Stargaze), 2020's When We Stay Alive, and this year's Madness, a work composed after the pandemic-caused delay of the musicians' planned 2020 tour.
Poliça plays their Davenport engagement on July 19 with an opening set by Wilsen, admission to the 7 p.m. concert is $18, and more information and tickets are available by visiting TheRaccoonMotel.com.
