Prinze George caps of their tour in support of Illiterate Synth Pop on Saturday at Rock & Roll Hotel. (Photo by Joilyn Jackson)

The annals of D.C. musical history are littered with promising area bands hightailing it up to Brooklyn with their instruments and dreams in tow. But after a bedbug-infested sojourn up north, Prinze George returned home—to Prince George’s County, Maryland—two years ago. The move back allowed the buzzed-about trio to pour their energy into the band full time. It also left them feeling marooned in their hometowns, permeated with a sense of being stuck.

“It’s the in-between of not being where you want to be, but knowing you have to be there to get to where you want to be,” says Naomi Almquist, the indie pop band’s lyricist and lead singer.

And that all-too-familiar feeling is the undercurrent streaming through their first full-length album, Illiterate Synth Pop, released earlier this month.

“There are shades of that on almost every track—that theme resurfaces,” Almquist says. “Sometimes it’s a verse, sometimes it’s a line, sometimes it’s a sound or a vibe.”

There’s a highly relatable contradiction at work, though. For as much as they feel stuck, they seem to have an equal amount of hometown pride. There’s the name of the band for starters. But there’s also the long-running friendship between Almquist, producer/instrumentalist Kenny Grimm, and drummer Isabelle De Leon (who actually grew up in Montgomery County). And there are the deeply personal songs that Almquist is belting out.

“The stories that I’m telling are very much my own. Relationships that I’ve had, and am having. We’re all from Maryland. We’ve got a big network of people we’ve grown up with, Almquist says. “We’re all Maryland strong.”

She’s careful to note the distinction between growing up in the College Park area and growing up in D.C. proper—but both places have left an indelible mark. “It’s always been really important that we identify as a Maryland band. Though anybody that’s from P.G. County also kind of grows up in D.C.,” she says.

And it is to the District that they will return for the final stop of their month-long tour, playing a record release show at the Rock & Hotel on Saturday night (fellow College Park-ians Higher Education will open).

Illiterate Synth Pop (so named after a snarky blog comment) builds from the band’s breakout hit, “Victor“, and self-titled EP, perfecting a balancing act between the moody, dreamy, pensive synth and deeply danceable pop. Think Lana del Rey, hanging out with Chvrches and Crystal Castles. Or better yet, give them a listen—and welcome them home on Saturday. They won’t be here for long.

Prinze George performs at Rock & Roll Hotel on Saturday, August 20 with opener Higher Education. 7 p.m. doors/8 p.m. show. Tickets $12.