underscores Review

On a Saturday night at The Observatory North Park, April Harper Grey, better known as underscores, delivered a 75-minute set that proved why her third album, U, has become her biggest success to date. The sold out crowd packed the intimate venue for an artist who has quietly become one of her generation's most inventive producers.

Grey opened with "Point A" before immediately igniting the room with "Locals (Girls like us)" and the umru collaboration "Poplife." The 18-song set balanced U highlights like "Lovefield," "Do It," and "Tell Me (U Want It)" with older fan favorites including "Spoiled little brat" and "Bodyfeeling." She also treated the crowd to a new, unreleased track titled "Unlimited Love," which fit seamlessly alongside the album's more polished moments.

Grey's between-song banter was characteristically self-deprecating. She joked about her reputation for overproducing, telling the crowd, "It's always gonna be nerdy as fuck," and offered a nod to her days as a K-pop explainer on YouTube. The night's peak arrived with "Do It," which recently received a remix from South Korean pop star Yves. A stripped-down moment on "harvest sky" showcased her jazz and classical background before she returned to the bass-heavy chaos of "Music," which closed the two-song encore alongside "1-800-FUCKOFF."

If U represents Grey's pivot toward pop accessibility without sacrificing her technical roots, Saturday's performance confirmed that she has found a compelling middle ground. The message was clear: the new wave of the future is already here.