Weekend put out one of the best albums of the year, and on Thursday night they brought their rich and lustrous sound to Lawrence when they played the Replay.

The band indulged their fans in several tracks off their latest album, Jinx, but also dived into a few older favorites. Their songs are heavy on the emotion, ranging anywhere from wistful to zealous, but always soaked in passion. We’ve yet to hear a band with more reverb on their vocals, and the guitars create a sea of melancholy sentiment while still leaving room for striking riffs and solos.

But anybody who thinks this is purely sad boy music is sorely mistaken. The guys rocked the end of their Replay set so hard, it turned into a pure collision course with calamity. They kicked cans and thrust themselves into the audience, who happily thrashed back. It was a fantastic finish to what had been an intensely dramatic set.

Weekend also played with Disappears, a band from Chicago they’ve been touring with over the past few weeks. Disappears also puts out a full, rich sound. They end their tour Friday in Chicago with their record release show. Just the wild drummer and his infectious energy alone should encourage any music lover to see them play.

Words and photos by Fally Afani.