Album anniversary tours are proliferating in these post-pandemic times, and though the merits of each can be debated, rolling from city to city to celebrate a specific record affords a band the chance to breathe new life into its songs and remind how compelling they were to begin with.

DeVotchka formed in the late 1990s in Denver as a cabaret group to back burlesque shows. Around the turn of the century, the band solidified its lineup and began recording its own material shaped by a spectrum of influences, from Mexican folk to Eastern European immigrant dance.

But with the 2004 release of its fourth album, How It Ends, the quartet created a masterpiece, blending styles from all over the world into its own rich and stirring sound. DeVotchka’s been out on the road to end the summer and to mark 20 years since the initial release of How It Ends, playing the pivotal album almost in its entirety. The night of Sept. 14, the band found itself on stage, facing an exuberant audience at Black Cat in Washington DC.