Clean Romance For Sloppy Lovers
On Saturday, August 29, The Sinkhole showcased an all-local lineup that featured sets from Sole Loan, Lindy Slopper, and Subtropolis.
The event competed with the Moonlight Ramble, a citywide bike ride which necessitated South Broadway’s closure, among other streets. Even with added difficulty finding the venue, the attendance was still around 50 people. In an intimate space such as the the Sinkhole, that easily fills the room.
The members of each band are all veterans of the Saint Louis music scene, however, the turnout included a crowd of women and men, both younger and older, regardless. A welcome departure from days better forgotten.
Sole Loan, led by singer/songwriter Tony Pupillo, began the night with earnest, introspective, and heartfelt songs reminiscent of Elliott Smith, Smog, and Bonnie Prince Billy. The band led everyone through an at times melancholy, yet ultimately hopeful and optimistic journey. “One must imagine Sisyphus happy.”
Lindy Slopper followed, jolting the crowd from their personal reverie to remind us about the banality of evil we are forced to witness in our everyday lives. Juxtaposing the intertwining melodies and rhythms of the guitarists with a drum machine blasting bass-laden beats and the singer’s aggressive yet humble presence, they got everyone dancing.
Ending the evening out was the headliner, Subtropolis. The duo, a drummer and guitarist, create driving walls of sound that sink deep into one’s stomach. The dystopian landscape they present to us is simply the world we already exist in. Even their stage banter was pre-recorded, thanking us all for coming out, and letting us know that the last song they would play was written by George Harrison in 1968.
The band then closed the evening out by playing “Gigantic” by the Pixies.
It was a night of clean romance for sloppy lovers.
Good times were had by all.
Sole Loan will be releasing their album “not so alone” before the end of the year, on Bandcamp and cassette tape.
Lindy Slopper will be playing at CBGB on Sunday September 27, 2026, and their upcoming album will come out in early 2027.
https://lindyslopper.bandcamp.com
Subtropolis’ next show will be at CBGB on Thursday, October 8, 2026.
They were recently featured on a compilation whose proceeds were donated to the children currently displaced in Gaza, and will be releasing a split 7” before the year is done.
