If waking up from a deep, rejuvenating sleep had a sound, it’d probably be a lot like the music of Tasha Viets-VanLear. Tenderness lights the path for this Chicago singer, songwriter, poet, and activist, who records under her first name. The intimate indie rock on her 2018 debut, Alone at Last, gets its alluring emotional depth from Tasha’s soft voice and her profoundly private lyrics, which disclose her most solitary imaginings and transformative visions. Even when she’s nearly whispering, she sounds like she might open up into full-throated singing with her next syllable—and she often does, which makes her performances alternately soothing and searing. She dives deeper into dreaminess with the new album Tell Me What You Miss the Most (Father/Daughter), though her music is anything but sleepy. On “Perfect Wife,” Tasha’s sweet singing and relaxed guitar strumming rest on a jaunty, mellow beat by drummer Ashley Guerrero, while Vivian McConnell (aka V.V. Lightbody) layers tight flute flourishes that add an airy radiance. In her lyrics, Tasha imagines all the ways she could spend her days with a flawless partner at her side, and the hint of glee in her voice might convince you that the song has helped her fulfill that wish.
Tasha, Christelle Bofale Sat 11/13, 9 PM, Sleeping Village, 3734 W. Belmont, $18, $15 in advance, 21+
Tasha, Fran Sat 11/20, 9 PM, Sleeping Village, 3734 W. Belmont, $18, $15 in advance, 21+