Flycatcher set the tone for a night of rock at Puzzles in Deep Ellum

We’ve all done it, right? Went to see one band, only to be blown away by another who hit the stage while the sun was still out. Or even simply bought the tickets not to see the headliner of that show’s bill, but the opening act. 

Step right up, Flycatcher. 

On Friday at Puzzles in Deep Ellum, the New Jersey-based act set the tone for Spanish Love Songs and headliners Armor for Sleep, who also hail from the Garden State.

“When the tour offer came through, we were like, ‘All right, those are our Jersey guys,’” Greg Pease, frontman for Flycatcher, said after the set. “I mean, they’re Jersey legends.”

Indeed, Armor for Sleep released their fifth studio album, There Is No Memory, last November, but has been grinding in the music business since their first record, Dream to Make Believe, in 2003. Needless to say, founder and lead singer Ben Jorgensen has cultivated a passionate following that, all these years later, was jumping, fist-bumping, and at times even moshing, particularly at the close-out of favorites like “The Truth About Heaven” and “Car Underwater.”

Along those same lines, Spanish Love Songs, led by Dylan Slocum, performed their first gig in 2013 before releasing Giant Sings the Blues two years later. Their high-energy set at Puzzles had diehard fans hanging on every word, and with people coming and going, the group might have had the evening’s largest audience.

All three bands were appreciative of the raucous crowd of 200-plus, with Slocum even hinting at being a bit jaded by the music industry but feeling uplifted by the reception received from locals. He recalled that when Spanish Love Songs played for the first time in Dallas several years ago, there was exactly one guy in the audience, and he acknowledged that this visit was their best of the many concerts they’ve since played in Texas. Normal concert-speak? Maybe, but Slocum came across as authentic.

For Flycatcher, which includes lead guitarist Justin VanNiekerk, bassist Jack Delle Cava and Matteo DeBenedetti on drums, this marked only the band’s second trip through Dallas, having stopped in February at Club Dada in support of Seahaven. Not that they’re completely newbies to touring. They went from the basement scene in New Jersey to booking their own tour in 2019, which took them to Seattle. 

But after a series of EPs and singles – with 2022’s “Sodas in the Freezer” having topped more than 3 million listens on Spotify – Flycatcher finally issued their first full-length album, “Wrench,” last October. The effort was produced by Will Yip and released on his Memory Music label. 

Under Yip, who earlier this year won a Grammy for his work on Turnstile’s “Never Enough” album, Pease says he found his voice. He has undoubtedly evolved, adding more texture and expression to his tone.

“I learned how to sing finally,” Pease said. “I learned how to get a little vocal fry and more control and all those things. … Will kind of helped me really hone things.”

Nowhere is his growth more evident than in the heartfelt song “Brother,” which is an ode to his brother Sean.

“I wanted to write a song from a place of gratitude,” Pease said. “He loved it. It just so happened that right around the time that song was coming out, he was getting married, so instead of giving a speech, I just played that. All my aunts were crying.”

Over the years, Flycatcher’s music has been described as everything from indie to Midwest emo to pop-punk, with Pease himself once calling it “twangy.” Make no mistake, though, on this night they were a pure rock band, complete with grungy guitars and pounding drums that took full advantage of Puzzles’ impressive sound system.

Referring back to their basement days, Pease said, “Now that we’ve all gotten to be better musicians and writers and arrangers, we’ve started to figure out how we could still be that loud, crazy rock band, but make it legible. … Part of the appeal of making this kind of music is being hyped up, making stuff that’s exciting to hear.”

And that they have done. But as Armor for Sleep and Spanish Love Songs can certainly attest – having crisscrossed the country and performed internationally during their lengthy careers – and AC/DC has preached to us in song, “It’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock ‘n’ roll.” 

Will Flycatcher eventually play arenas around the world? Who knows? But on a Friday night in Dallas, this up-and-coming band put on a hell of a show.