Saturday night saw a pair of rising singer-songwriters take the stage at the beautiful Pico Union Project — the multi-faith cultural arts center just 10 minutes from my house! Portland-bred Alexandra Savior just dropped her second full-length album The Savior a month ago and was headlining in support of the record. She was joined by local favorite Pearl Charles, who is set to release her third full-length record later this year.

Savior has early Lana del Rey vibes, with her deep-set vocals and morose lyrical content punching you in the gut. Her blue dress and awkwardness felt straight out of a ’50s film as she did a great job at making a classic feel sound modern.

The Archer is a step forward for the singer, who said of the album: “I felt like I needed to establish my own voice and show my independence again.” She does so on the eerie record, an played five of the songs from it. Standout single “Crying All The Time” got the biggest pop of the night.

Opening the show was Pearl Charles, who I have been enamored with since catching her at SXSW a few years ago and have seen a number of times here in LA ever since. Her folksy Americana sound has a bit of a disco vibe to some of the tunes and her voice is timeless. I can’t wait to hear the new record when it’s ready. I recommend checking out her most recent record, 2018’s Sleepless Dreamer, which is strong from start to finish.

Catch these two whenever you get a chance!

Photos by Danielle Gornbein