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Written by Ryan Hoelting Wednesday, 04 January 2006 19:58

Spaceland, Los Angeles

“Sometimes the sun goes down/Sometimes it comes back up/I’m wondering which one you are watching now.” These words might seem too simple or maybe too generic to be lyrics to a hit song, but for power-pop group the Lashes, simple is working in their favor. “Sometimes the Sun,” a song that will be the opening track on the upcoming Get It (due February 21 on Columbia), is starting to gain national attention. With the previously released four-song The Stupid Stupid EP and a full-length on the way, the boys from Seattle brought their catalog of catchy, sing-along, power-pop tunes to Los Angeles.

When the Lashes take the stage, the seeming multitude of bodies appears greater than their numbers: six. As they broke into their set—with songs like “Love Letters,” “Death by Mixtape,” and “New Best Friend”—the crowd had all eyes and ears open. Even the large group of smokers who were hanging out in the fishbowl-like smoking lounge put out their cigarettes and rushed out to get a peek of the Lashes (yes, smoking inside public facilities in California is still illegal, but there are exceptions). In between songs, lead singer Ben Lashes spoke to the crowd with sincerity about the band’s pleasure at being onstage on this particular Friday night.

The six members—Ben, Eric, Nate, Scotty, Jacob, and Mike, all taking the last name Lashes—perform smart, catchy rock songs about girls, relationships, and break-ups. Absent from most of these songs is the presence of heavy rock guitars which seem to define many mainstream power pop acts like Weezer or Jimmy Eat World. The Lashes have more of a Strokes vibe going on (even dressing similarly), but a little more on the pop side.

As their set wound down and the band burst through “Sometimes the Sun,” the Lashes had surely made some new friends among the crowd. They left the stage graciously, but not first without telling the crowd to do one thing: Get It!