A Commanding, Reflective Set From Ednaswap

Most pop fans think of “Torn” as the plaintive love song that rocketed ingenue singer Natalie Imbruglia onto the radio and into the favor of heartbroken innocents everywhere. But her guileless warbling paled when Ednaswap vocalist Anne Preven invested the tune with unexpected maturity and weight during the band’s Roxy performance on Thursday.

The song does “belong” to the L.A. quintet--Preven and guitarist Scott Cutler co-wrote it, and it was first recorded by Ednaswap--but it was still a gutsy move, considering how ubiquitous the hit version is. Yet Preven shaded it with emotional nuances not heard in Imbruglia’s take, sounding at once vulnerable and steely.

The moment capped a commanding set that showed Ednaswap deserves the broader attention it has been getting with its third album, “Wonderland Park.” With satisfying crunchiness and lots of sexy undercurrents, the players veered effortlessly from melody to dissonance, balancing lush, hooky pop with heavier, punk-flecked earlier material.

But the relatively raw presentation didn’t diminish the reflective nature of the band’s songs, which explored everything from the need for spiritual redirection to how the past can haunt a person, without ever dragging down the mood. So, whether or not “Torn” proves to be the highlight in Imbruglia’s 15 minutes of fame, Ednaswap proved it has plenty more where that came from.