El Perro Del Mar Is Entirely Pleasant

Sarah Assbring may come off as shy and timid, but when the song starts, she becomes a whole other person — El Perro Del Mar, to be exact.

I expected a fairly quiet night walking into The Mod Club — I didn't bring earplugs and even overheard the coat-check workers saying it was so quiet it felt like the club was closed — but that quickly changed... kind of... once I got up to the front.

El Perro Del Mar's music is often soft and gentle on record, but live, the thudding beats and rhythms of the drums and bass were much more prominent and grabbed the audience's attention, like on "Let Me In" and "L Is For Love" for example. The venue didn't suddenly become a dance party, but the tunes sure got people's feet tapping, heads bobbing and some bodies swaying from side to side, at least.

Highlights included a fantastic cover of The XX's "Shelter" — arguably better than the original — and "Is It Something (To Have Wept)," a beautiful tune that gradually built up to a sweepingly dramatic climax.  

Assbring was definitely an entertainer, dancing and moving to the music between guitar and singing duties. She was dressed in a billowy transparent shirt, and every colour of the venue's lighting beautifully projected onto it as she rocked back and forth onstage.

Assbring's eccentric attitude is clearly comparable to fellow Swedish songstress Lykke Li. But Li's music is more energetic and up-tempo, while Assbring's is comparatively more subdued and mellow, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Assbring's music is borderline boring at times, but her captivatingly smooth voice and quirky moves keep it interesting.

Assbring's shyness returned between songs, and there was minimal banter about it being a tiring day of the week and Toronto's surprising warmth and sunshine ("Does that happen often?" she questioned). She doesn't have the most compelling personality, but in some cases the music should speak for itself; this was one of those times. And when the music spoke, it engaged the audience in a pleasant way.

That definitely made for an enjoyable weekend — warmth, sunshine and El Perro Del Mar.