The ability to make a crowd feel every color of emotion is an art very few have mastered. At Kings’ Teens in Trouble, Pacing, and Fake Jr proved they belong to that rare group, delivering a cohesive set that let even a first-time listener feel exactly what each songwriter was living through when they wrote each song.

With Pacing as the first opener, the audience is smoothly introduced to her utility belt of elements that enhance her short-story-like songs. Alongside what can only be described as whimsical guitar strings, her inviting, mundane, and lovely vocals pull you into topics that sound almost comedic on paper, like trying to break up a band, getting over the fear of snakes, and cancelling her deceased father’s Planet Fitness membership. The combination projects a strong narrative essence that quietly engulfs the atmosphere.

Then the monologues start. Slowly, they chip away at the vulnerable barriers between you and the artist until you are hit with a hard truth she actually had to live with. You’re left sitting with sympathy, confusion, and tenderness. And then she cracks a joke, leading into the next song.

Afterward, Fake Jr, a four-piece band, took up the stage. With full confidence, they eased into a brief sound check before silently agreeing, all at once, that it was time. One strum of the electric guitar and the room snapped to attention. The lyrics were inseparable from each chord struck, giving the band a harmony that kept you enchanted until the end of each song.

In just a few seconds, you could hear West Coast influences like the warmth of the Beach Boys and Surf Rock guitar chords, all mixed with their own power/pop hooks that deliver a powerful full-body blow.

At last, Teens in Trouble was next. I won’t lie, I fan-girled a bit. That aside, they opened with distorted electric-guitar chords that enhanced the emotion behind every lyric she sang. TiT leans into repetition with intention, using it to convey exactly what the songwriter wants you to feel. Paired with lovesick lyrics, you start to piece together the past conflict of troubles she’s experienced.

They also debuted three new songs and later announced that they would be a part of an upcoming project. Out of respect, I’ll speak lightly of them, but they were unmistakably Teens-in-Trouble-coded, while quietly showing an artist in the middle of an evolution.

For full transparency, I, myself, only knew of Teens in Trouble before this show (through a WXYC Backyard BBQ, shameless self-promo). Through this show, I can definitely say I’ve become a fan of all three artists and will be watching for their names in venues around the Triangle.