Bridal Party

Brides to Be

The song “Fruitless,” from Canadian indie-rockers Bridal Party, is a cherubic anthem for wallflowers and art-school dropouts. It’s never as cloying as Belle & Sebastian, but with a northern sensibility — whether that be northern England, Sweden or Canada.

Together for about three years, Bridal Party stops in Eugene on their first-ever tour of the U.S. 

“Fruitless,” like a lot of Bridal Party material, is precious. Yet, under chiming guitar arpeggios and squirting keyboards, it has a Morrissey-esque venom with lines like “It’s not funny when your life’s a joke/ I’d pay good money for a chaperone” or “I can’t love anyone/ not in this economy,” all sung by co-vocalist Suzannah Raudaschl, with an endearing and precocious frown.  

For now, the song, from the band’s Negative Spaces EP, exists mainly as a little gem on Bandcamp. But it could justify a spot on any number of playlists about the pains of growing up different — a classic, waiting to find a generation of listeners.

Raudaschl tells me prioritizing lyrical content is something that makes her band work well creatively. “We pay a lot of attention to the lyrics we write,” she says by phone from San Francisco. 

“I really like the simplicity and vagueness of pop music,” guitarist Joseph Leroux adds. “Very explicit and personal.”

In addition, Raudaschl says her band is committed to taking their music on the road. “We all want to make this groovy, interesting music that also has some spice to it,” she says.

Bridal Party will preview material from their upcoming full-length debut alongside Eugene’s Mine the Fold 9:30 pm Friday, Dec. 21, at Old Nick’s; $5, 21-plus.