4 concerts in the DC area: 22.-28. July

With a tone like Lana Del Rey’s off-pitch, Ethel Cain’s vocals are heavy with reverberations and regrets, her self-confessed, transgressive lyrics replacing Del Rey’s Americana obsession with Bible Belt imagery: blood and baptisms, bar fights and bruises. On her stunning debut album, Preacher’s Daughter, Cain conjures whatever she chooses, emerging from the spirit world to reveal slow-burning country ballads, distorted piano instrumentals, strip-club sleaze and shoegaze nightmares. The alter ego of 24-year-old singer-songwriter Hayden Anhedönia has the makings of a southern gothic pop star. The standout track “American Teenager” is a deceptive anthem about the Friday night lies sold over the counter to the nation’s children. July 24 at 8 p.m. at the Union Stage, 740 Water St. SW. unionstage.com. Sold out.

Bonbon is a “mini-festival” that brings together several of the city’s top DJs and artists to support SMYAL, a DC non-profit organization that supports LGBTQ youth through leadership and mentoring. Founding member of the collective Noxeema Jackson, Dvonne brings together influences ranging from Luther Vandross and Notorious BIG to Goth Industrial and Raver Club. Veterans of the DC dancefloor, Tommy C and Kristy La Rat expertly mix tracks from across the disco-house-techno continuum and pan-Latin diasporic dance music, respectively. Rounding out the lineup are Pwrpuff, Aphroditus, FRANXX and Gabberbitch69 – a purveyor of punishing high-tempo tracks – and features a performance by Bambi, producing “genderless and gendered fantasies” as the mother of Haus of Bambi. July 24 at 5 p.m. in Songbyrd, 540 Penn St. NE. songbyrddc.com. $25.60.

For much of Laura Veirs’ career as a solo artist, her music has been inseparable from Tucker Martine, an indie superproducer who has helped helm her albums and is also Veir’s ex-husband. While 2020’s “My Echo” was released after her divorce, just released “Found Light” is the first in which the singer-songwriter processes, prepares, and moves into a new phase of life and music. As she told NPR, “The whole process of making the record was intertwined with my ex — who’s a great record producer, but I wanted to do it my own way.” On “Found Light,” Veir’s lyrics are vibrant poetry, full of senses and more stimulating Images like “Vermillion Suns” and “Pomegranate Fingertips,” and the songs explore how she learned from pain, freed herself from burdens, and returned to nature – and herself. July 27 at 8 p.m. on the Union Stage, 740 Water St. SW. unionstage.com. $20.