Planetary rock has a new meaning, and it has nothing to do with minerals.

On Friday the three-man band 60 Watt Kid played at HM157, a historic Victorian turned art gallery and music venue in Lincoln Heights.  

The music sounded like a layered dream sequence, building from moments of tranquility to extreme intensity. Beginning with the title track from their upcoming album, We Come From the Bright Side, the 45-minute set seemed more like an emotional journey through the solar system than a concert.  

Their performance captured the serenity of space through synthesizers mixed with traditional instruments. With spinning close ups from Encyclopedia Britannica of Jupiter and Saturn as a backdrop, the music came alive through the energetic drumming of Dylan Wood, echo-y singing from Kevin Litrow and precise guitar movements by Derek Thomas.  

Synthesizers played a major role in the songs' intergalactic feel. Without the aid of a computer, the band relied on themselves to record each loop and layer on the spot. Although the results sounded dreamy and trancelike, their power was strong enough to keep the crowd involved.
 
"We work off the audience and the environment around us in our live shows," said Thomas. "We augment the performances, which allows for more free moments and adlibbing."
 
They can be easily linked to bands like Animal Collective, who found a niche in psychedelic dream pop, but 60 Watt Kid is different. Each song possesses a visual quality, only enhanced by their live act and the large projections of nature and outer space they usually make themselves. (Friday's images were provided by HM157.)

Litrow's distinctive dancing also helps hold attention, as well as the band's slight improvisations.
 
"It's a little different every time, but the songs are basically the same," Litrow said.

"We work with whatever's going on with the environment," Wood added. "For production we do our best to replicate the albums, but there is a lot of improvisation in the sense of our actual performance."
 
Friday's show was a small taste of what to expect on their second full length, to be released Oct. 22 through Absolutely Kosher. In addition to the title track, 60 Watt Kid performed Golden Travels and 2012 - both examples of how their sound has evolved from the 2007 self-titled debut.
 
"On this CD, we wanted to capture the energy of our live show," said Thomas. "And I think we did that better than our last album."
 
One of the biggest changes on Bright Side has been the switch in drummers since relocating from San Francisco to Los Angeles.
 
"Our new drummer, Dylan, plays with a full kit compared with our last drummer, who only played a tom," Thomas explained. And Wood's drumming style adds a lot of color to the music with expressive beats and solos.
 
In the upcoming months, 60 Watt Kid will focus on building their Los Angeles fan base, playing shows at the Echo, the Smell and a record release party in Long Beach. As they continue to play the area, hopefully their live show will include more material; the main complaint from Friday was that their set ended after five songs.