An Indie Night to Remember

Monday, March 4, at the UO’s Matthew Knight Arena is going to be a fizzy, indie-pop playground in three acts: Alt-rock-pop kings Passion Pit, indie-pop darlings Matt & Kim and Swedish DJ pop duo Icona Pop — too bad it’s a school night.

Passion Pit serenaded Eugene in 2010 at the McDonald Theatre (pictured above); this time the band is touring for their much-heralded 2012 album, Gossamer, and the venues they are playing reflect the band’s success as much as their evolved sound. Passion Pit’s Ian Hultquist (guitar, keyboard) tells EW that while they like the personal connection available in smaller venues, “Right now, we have a sound where it makes sense to be in a large room.” And it’s a huge, thumping, giddy-approaching-on-hyper sound; the fantastic “I’ll Be Alright” sounds like someone is poking chipmunks with a disco stick — in a humane, PETA-friendly way, of course. Pair that with lyrics like “I’m so self loathing that is hard for me to see,” drawing on lead singer and songwriter Michael Angelakos’ highly publicized struggle with bipolar disorder, and as the Monty Python boys would say, “and now for something completely different.”

Also gracing the arena that night is the Brooklyn-based duo, Matt & Kim (of 2009’s “Daylight” frenzy), who released the addictively upbeat albeit predictable Lightening in 2012. Their bubbly, highly danceable, power-pop led by Matt Johnson’s whiney-pretty vocals will be the perfect build up for Passion Pit. And the Swedish synth-queens of Icona Pop will be the perfect fluffer for Matt & Kim, with their irreverent dance anthem “I Love It,” an international hit that garnered attention stateside with a pitch-perfect cameo in HBO’s Girls, during an over-the-top cocaine-fueled New York City dance club scene.

Passion Pit, Matt & Kim and Icona Pop play at 7 pm Monday, March 4, at Matthew Knight Arena; $23-$28.