Tortoise Constructs a House of Puzzle Pieces at the 9:30 Club 

Gallery and Review by Sebastian Litz

June 28, 2026

Slow and steady. Tortoise is a band that says nothing but manages to leave the audience speechless.

The Chicago post-rock band Tortoise is coming off their first album in almost 10 years with the 2025 release: “Touch.” It is a return to form for the band due to the cinematic esche grooves, where critics are calling it “exceptional” from Under the Radar and a “strangely moving listen” from Pitchfork.

Tortoise is a band that reminds me of no other. They build up every song, giving you pieces of the end product like they're dropping puzzle pieces into the palm of the listener's hands. True to their name, they take it slow. Rather than giving you the product you want to hear, you get to hear the process of it being made, which makes the listening experience so much more rewarding. Tortoise has an ability that not many other live performers have. They are able to personally connect with the audience without singing a single word. Each song sends you to a different place, giving their sound an overall sense of nostalgia. Tortoise makes music that forces you to sit with yourself. 

Tortoise went back on tour this summer for the first time since the release tour for “Touch”, and on June 28th they landed at the beloved 9:30 Club. The second song the band performed in that set was “Glass Museum” off the 1996 album “Millions Now Living Will Never Die.” They open the song with a haunting guitar riff and a powerful snare drum roll, taking us into a ⅞ time signature, putting the audience on their toes as the song builds tension. Around the midpoint of “Glass Museum,” most of the instruments drop out, leaving the guitar whispering, hidden, in the back right of the stage. This newfound lack of sound juxtaposed to the intense groove leaves the audience stranded. We sit alone in the crowd with our thoughts as the guitar entrances us. A shocking snare roll pulls us back into the song we know as Tortoise commands the audience's full attention. Except now what was on the audience's mind directly impacts the listening experience. The band drops out again. A subtle bassline grows as the guitar creeps up on the listener. This time, instead of going back to the song we knew before and were comfortable with, all the puzzle pieces are in our hands. They show us what they’ve been building for the last three minutes, and it is angry, it's loud, and it is dark. 

One of Tortoise’s biggest strengths is their lack of vocals. Tortoise manages to create a home for the audience in every song. This is because now, the audience can take whatever they’re dealing with in their personal life and put it into the song without someone telling them what the music is about. Tortoise doesn’t make tragic breakup songs, inspiring coming-of-age songs, or angry political pieces. Instead, each song is a canvas for the audience member to put their life onto. Tortoise manages to speak to each audience member differently without ever saying anything. Their live performance at the 9:30 Club was loud, nostalgic, emotional, and a performance the audience will remember. 

Keep up with Tortoise here