By Emily Booher

Music has many powers. One of its greatest is to evoke emotions are almost cosmic and seem to bend time and space. If Hundred Waters was described in one word, it would be cosmic. The group has a profound knack for radiating otherworldly beauty.

Mostly considered an electronic quartet, the band shows their true chops as musicians with their drum pads and synth machines juxtaposed against sweet falsetto-like vocals of lead singer Nicole Miglis and her beautiful piano interludes. Seeing them live was like watchingmystical beings. Not a person in the audience was resistant to the raw, passionate emotions that graced the air.

Walking into the middle of their track “Murmurs” at their North Door Family records South by Southwest showcase, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Their latest record is serene, a bit dancey, and incredibly magical—unlike anything you’ve heard before. However, you never know how well a record will translate to the stage.

Miglis’ vocals floated high above the ethereal instrumentation, as her white flowy ensemble made her appear more goddess-esque than human. Leaving the outside world behind, Hundred Waters took the crowd into a dark, shimmery world.

Though the music hopped around more than expected, starting out with sweeter numbers such as Miglis’ solo remix of track “Show Me Love,” the entire audience melted along with aching, charismatic lines like “keep me away from apathy while I’m still awake.”

This comes from the same band who has also written tracks such as their finale song “[Animal]” which has Miglis singing the line “animal” more than 20 consecutive times, not needing a DJ to do it for her. The same band whose setlist seemed to grow into house music as the electronic elements seemed to sprout an agenda of their own.

Hundred Waters proved themselves worthy of more mainstream attention as they swept away the entire venue with their powerful stage presence. It was entrancing, genuine, and all around pure artistic expression. The world is sure to see them blossom from their small indie status to one of prominence on the world stage.