Broncho Celebrating a Decade of “Double Vanity” at the Independent

Photo Credit: Broncho

Journeying through Broncho’s back catalog makes for a dizzying, thrilling experience. With the band’s chameleonic, ever-shifting sounds, one could be forgiven for mistaking Broncho’s five album discography as the product of five different bands. 

Ranging from scuzzed-out garage rock to slinky glam pop to propulsive new wave and moody atmospheric art rock, the Broncho oeuvre is one that’s impossible to pin down. Broncho frontman and chief songwriter Ryan Lindsey said the band never tried to intentionally create different sounding albums—they just always played what felt natural to them at the time. But he conceded that the end results make for an eclectic catalog.

“It’s funny to go back and listen to all our albums now, because I do realize how diverse sounding we are,” said Lindsey. “Maybe on a subconscious level, we were trying to make a sound that contrasted with the prior album, but there wasn’t like a master vision there. But I like how diverse we are—it feels like all these different lives we’ve lived. We can be several different versions of ourselves, but still have the same underlying spirit.”

For Broncho’s latest stretch of shows, the band is digging into their third album, “Double Vanity,” a reverb-laden, garage rock masterpiece. Last year, the Oklahoma-based outfit toured extensively in support of their newest release, “Natural Pleasure,” and because they enjoyed that jaunt so much, they decided to extend their live playing schedule. This year happened to coincide with the 10 year anniversary of “Double Vanity,” so Lindsey and company thought it would be fun to play that album in full, which they’ll do on Monday night at the Independent.

“It’s been a blast playing these songs again,” said Lindsey. “It was hard for me to relax when we first toured this record, because I was so focused on everything sounding right. ‘Double Vanity’ is a challenging album to play live, based on how we recorded it. It was almost like I was in a blackout moment when I played those songs 10 years ago. Now, it’s a lot easier for me to just have fun and play these songs. Time does good things sometimes.”

Broncho first gained fame when Lena Dunham placed the band’s punk manifesto, “It’s On,” on her hit HBO show, “Girls.” The band increased their profile even more with the release of their second album, “Just Enough Hip to Be Woman,” powered by their skittery new wave number, “Class Historian,” one of the undeniably best songs of 2014.

The group could have just xeroxed the template for “Class Historian” for the rest of their career, but they took a daring left turn with “Double Vanity.” Dense, heavy and dark, “Double Vanity” took its cue from the psychedelic garage rock sounds of 13th Floor Elevators and the glam gauziness of outfits such as T. Rex. 

While there are plenty of classic cuts on the record, it was a more challenging and less accessible listen than their prior efforts. Still, it has a formidable place in the band’s discography, cementing their reputation as fearless risk-takers.

“We had that record finished and for some reason, it just didn’t feel right,” said Lindsey. “We just threw everything into the reverb chamber—with those slower paced songs, it just felt natural to do that. But that meant those songs ended up taking on a lot of space—they had a lot going on.”

Although the album represented a challenging shift, it remains a fan favorite for Broncho backers. Songs like “Fantasy Boys,” “Jenny Loves Jenae” and “Senora Borealis” have been live staples since the release of the “Double Vanity.”

The songs from “Double Vanity” also offer an intriguing contrast to the cuts from “Natural Pleasures,” the band’s 2025 release. During the “Decade of Double Vanity” tour, Broncho have played songs from that album as well, and those tracks are airy, atmospheric and bright, providing an exciting juxtaposition for crowd-goers

For Lindsey, the opportunity to play both old and new songs live has offered him a moment to do something he rarely does—reflect on the longevity and success of Broncho.

“Looking back, having these conversations, it’s almost like therapy for me,” said Lindsey. “I’m always focused on what’s next—on moving forward. So, it’s been nice to go back to the beginning and appreciate what we’ve done.”

Show Details:
Broncho
Where: The Independent
When: 8 p.m., Monday, May 18
Tickets: $42, available here.