Passion Pit digs in deep at The Showbox (Photo Slideshow)

Passion Pit at The Showbox (Photo by Alex Crick)

A sold-out, all ages crowd packed The Showbox Tuesday night for the first of two shows by Passion Pit, dancing and singing along to the band’s deceptively cheerful electronic pop. Singer Michael Angelakos’s distinctive falsetto could be considered their signature sound, but behind the sheen of the beats and synths lie some pretty dark topics (depression, substance abuse, a little self-loathing). Still, the songs are nearly impossible to resist, resulting in an energetic, crowd-pleasing show.

The Massachusetts band (technically consisting solely of Angelakos, but supported live by five musicians) released their third album Kindred earlier this year, and the set balanced some of the best songs from each release.

What Angelakos might lack in audience interaction, he makes up for in his frenetic energy, exhorting the fans to sing and dance often – not that they needed much encouragement. Aside from a subdued reaction to a mid-show slow-down with “Looks Like Rain” and “To Kingdom Come,” the enthusiasm from the fans continued throughout the show.

While the new songs were well-received, the biggest reaction was to the fan favorites from the first two albums – “Little Secrets” and the encore “Sleepyhead” from debut album Manners, and “Take a Walk” and “Carried Away” from 2012’s Gossamer.

LA band Holychild opened the show, setting the mood for the night with their fun, percussion-heavy pop. The crowd happily cheered for the familiar “Running Behind” (thanks to its appearance in an Apple Watch ad), but the band appeared genuinely surprised and appreciative of the response to their entire set.

Setlist:
Little Secrets
Lifted Up (1985)
Whole Life Story
Cry Like a Ghost
Mirrored Sea
Where the Sky Hangs
Make Light
Five Foot Ten (I)
Looks Like Rain
To Kingdom Come
All I Want
I’ll Be Alright
Constant Conversations
The Reeling
Carried Away
Until We Can (Let’s Go)
Take a Walk

Encore:

Sleepyhead