Thus Owls

My pick for show of the night, Swedish-Canadian indie outfit Thus Owls played an impressive, dreamy set in front of a fairly enraptured crowd. As a frontwoman, Erika Angell is compulsively watchable — she raises an arm and the room's eyes follow her hand. That kind of magnetic power flows through the band's sound as well, a hybrid of melodic pop, freak folk and psychedelic flourishes. Entrancing and disarmingly powerful, Thus Owls' music is familiar in some respects — think Kate Bush by way of Florence Welch — and yet there is something undeniably singular about the band. Despite these obvious similarities, Thus Owls feel like they are moving through some new, less travelled territory. You can't help but want to follow them.