
Mystery Friends Unveiled Catchy New Dance Tunes at The Atlantis
Words by Mickey McCarter
Photos by Steve Satzberg
First and foremost, a concert performance by Mystery Friends is a dance party. Such was the case at their recent EP release show at The Atlantis, where frontwoman Abby Sevcik got the audience grooving to “On the Floor!,” the title track from the five-song EP, by turning it into a call-and-response number where the audience shouted the refrain back to the band.
Mystery Friends want you to dance the night away, and the crowd did exactly that as the five-member collective introduced their new tunes.
I say five-member collective but Mystery Friends played with six members at The Atlantis on Jan. 11 as they bid farewell to their bassist, who moved away to Denver. Stepping into the breach is local musician Annie Guske, who lends a lot of synth power to the pop punch of Mystery Friends. Annie fit right in with the other four core members of the band, including core duo Abby (vocals) and Dave Mohl (synth/guitar), who extended their natural chemistry to their new collaborator.
The audience has a good time in part because Mystery Friends is having a good time making good music. “On the Floor!” was a slinky new addition to the Mystery Friends bag of tricks, weaving house-style melodies with Abby’s pleasing vocal. The song drew everyone into it with fizzy synths and seductive purrs.
Stream “On the Floor!” by Mystery Friends on YouTube:
After “On the Floor!,” Mystery Friends performed “Fever Dream,” a song from Utopia, their second full-length album, which they released about a year ago. In fact, the band also played an album release party for that record, and there were incredibly similar vibes in this 2025 Atlantis show. In January 2024, the room was bursting full of people in a well sold-out show; with only a few less people this time, there was a bit more room to catch your breath!
On “Fever Dream” and elsewhere, Mystery Friends gently yet firmly guided the audience into a happy daze with snappy drumming by Enzo Ferroggiaro. Here and elsewhere, Mystery Friends truly took off instantly thanks to Enzo and Dave locking together, and Dave’s synths were totally delightful.
Earlier in the show, Mystery Friends introduced audience to “Rising Star,” a standout track from the new EP. The song has a chirpy new wave shine to it, and it also has prominent guitar riffs, granting a spotlight to guitarist Jay Nemeyer of Color Palette. Jay’s confident performance and towering presence added to the dynamics of Mystery Friends. Thanks to Jay, the band really rocks out when it wants to!
Near the middle of the performance, Mystery Friends played the first of two excellent covers — “What You Know” by Two Door Cinema Club. The band really gave this great number a fresh coat of paint and it really shined with Abby’s voice. At the end of the show, Mystery Friends covered “Bulletproof” by La Roux — which was unexpected and welcome! While both covers were a pleasant surprise, the second hit me harder personally as I’ve always dearly loved that first La Roux album. Also, “Bulletproof” showcased the full power of Mystery Friends as, left to their own devices, they align more clearly to acts like La Roux. That said, Mystery Friends would be very much at home in a mixtape with Two Door Cinema Club, La Roux, and other great European indie bands from 2008-2010.
One of the openers for Mystery Friends at The Atlantis was ViRG, the solo project of musician Piano Whitman. Ms. Whitman and accompanying guitarist Alex Salser also perform as members of DC soul band Oh He Dead. The other members of the ViRG stage band include bassist Doug Imhoff, drummer Max Holiday, and keyboardist Daniel Rozmajzl.
ViRG was a terrific complement to the music of Mystery Friends, and so together they were a strong bill. Piano Whitman seemed to take a page from the stylistic aesthetics of Kate Bush, and she sang like a young Nelly Furtado. The band played keyboard-led R&B music that would have been right at home in the ’70s. There were occasional touches of spacey prog rock in the mix. It was easy to see why Mystery Friends’ Abby Sevcik said, “They are about to blow up.”
Two years ago, ViRG released Weeks, a debut full-length album, which includes performance favorites “Too Much,” “Save CDs,” and “She Knows,” among other tunes. In December, ViRG published “Feels Right,” a new single.
Watch the official music video for “Feels Right” by ViRG on YouTube:
Annapolis-based folk singer-songwriter Daphne Eckman kicked off the evening at The Atlantis, and you can find photos of her and the other acts below.
This bill was a total package! Keep the party going by caching the next dance party with Mystery Friends.
Visit Mystery Friends online for more music and tourdates.
Here are some photos of Mystery Friends performing at The Atlantis on Jan. 11, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Steve Satzberg.
Here are some photos of ViRG opening Mystery Friends at The Atlantis on Jan. 11, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Steve Satzberg.
Here are some photos of Daphne Eckman opening Mystery Friends at The Atlantis on Jan. 11, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Steve Satzberg.