Clad in four different patterns — not including an oversized graphic tee that read “you don’t see a motorcycle parked outside a psychiatrist’s office” — Minnesota-born runo plum [sic.] turned Minneapolis’ intimate 7th Street Entry into a backyard picnic on Saturday night. The golden lights played dress up as the sun while plum bent indie pop into a familiar, earthy genre. Her debut record evokes the softness of handmade mugs and the fragrance of citrus, most notably in the billowy “Lemon Garland.” For the final stop on the first leg of her “patching” tour, plum and her fellow Minnesotan opener Lutalo brought the crowd to the other side of the solstice.
Plum and her band recorded the entirety of “patching” in a Vermont cabin, and you can hear it. The record is infused with the natural world, from twangy banjoes reminiscent of honey-toned grass on “Elephant,” to shades of green pervading nearly every track. Her rural upbringing and pastoral inclinations have long been the core of her musical career. Her 2022 EP “mountain songs,” co-written with Philip Brooks, is a prime example.
Establishing the homey atmosphere, Lutalo, backed by plum’s guitarist and girlfriend Noa Francis, lulled us into the backyard with his hauntingly smooth vocals. He crafted tracks such as “Darkeve,” off his 2022 EP “Once Now, Then Again,” into a conversation between his acoustic and Francis’ reverbed electric guitar, while others, notably “For Now,” put a pep in everybody’s step. He could have kept the room in a trance for the rest of the night, but halfway through his set he gave the crowd something better — a duet with plum herself.
The pair led the room in a sing-along of Lutalo’s “Little Chance,” encouraging our shakily-harmonized voices in what must have been record-breaking audience participation for an opener.
Backed by Lutalo on drums and Francis on guitar, plum did not just perform “patching” tracks “Sickness” and “Pond,” she built a wide-open hill for her listeners to roll down in childlike release. Though the record was crafted in the wake of a breakup, plum did not take the stage to ruminate. Rather, the free-willed energy of her show exuded healing and catharsis. In songs such as “Alley Cat,” she transformed from a dream-state rhythm into a prancing beat like that of skipping stones. Lutalo’s crisp drumwork breathed new life into each track, most notably her hit “flip your pillow,” which was almost unrecognizably refurbished.
Halfway through the show, plum dismissed her band in order to properly return to her stripped-back roots. Alone with her six separately-tuned guitars, she summoned the songs that gained her internet popularity in the wake of the pandemic. Rooted in an era of distance, plum’s singles “simple things” and “slow dance” fell gently into their proper, deserved, intimate setting.
In a whiplash reminder of her musical growth, plum capped off the night with her most boisterous tunes. “Halfway Up the Lawn” took on legs of its own, running beyond its recorded limits with the help of her band. The chemistry between Francis and plum glowed from their guitar solos while Lutalo’s drumming danced unanchored.
Home at last and basking in the crowd’s warmth, plum could not have ended her first leg in a better city. She’ll embark on the second half of the “patching” tour on Mar. 10 in Saint Louis before heading west.
