Minutes after the curfew descended on a square mile of Downtown Los Angeles, Oakland-based duo Tune-Yards entertained a packed show mere blocks away at the Bellwether on June 11. Dedicated fans filled the theater’s floor and balcony for a charming show of Tune-Yards’ characteristic funky tracks and quirky vocals from married couple and bandmates Merrill Garbus and Nate Brenner.

The Bellwether show is part of Tune-Yards’ larger tour, celebrating the release of their sixth album, “Better Dreaming,” a return to their roots of using loop pedals and relying on tracks that they had left behind from some of their more recent records.

Before they could take the stage, however, Brenner’s college friend from his days at Oberlin Conservatory, Kassa Overall, gave a laid-back jazz set accompanied by a full ensemble of instrumentalists. Jazz covers of Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg collaborations mingled with Overall’s originals, resulting in an eclectic mix of music that reflected the sense of humor of what may be the coolest cat out there.

Overall interacted with the audience in between songs with his deadpan, dry delivery of arguably underappreciated jokes before launching into jazzy renditions of hip-hop classics like the finale, Biggie Smalls’ “Big Poppa.” His performance as a precursor to Tune-Yards seemed to leave the audience of funky art-pop enthusiasts slightly confused, but his musicality appeared to be appreciated nonetheless and had a few hipster heads bobbing with artisanal beers in hand.

Where Overall enjoyed the spotlight and took his time on stage, Tune-Yards was quite economical with its time in the sun. At a crisp 9:17 p.m., the married duo walked onto the stage with zero fanfare or change of lights, awkwardly entering to the joy of an eager and unsuspecting crowd.

Without more than a wave, Garbus began looping sounds to launch into the night’s first track, “Heartbreak,” the second single off the new album. The strength of Tune-Yards clearly lies in the music, with both Garbus and Brenner appearing at ease behind their respective rigs and staying behind them for most of the show.

Once lost in the music, the two performers seemed more relaxed. Garbus’ vocals were loose and exciting, fully warranting comfort on stage alongside Brenner’s deft bass skills. That being said, it still took a couple of songs for either of them to come out from behind their equipment.

Nevertheless, as more and more songs peppered the setlist from all over the group’s discography, Garbus eventually emerged from behind her loop pedals and mixers. She led the crowd in a group exercise of checking out their mitts for “Look at Your Hands” before pulling up a wooden chair to the front of the stage to perform a few songs with a mixer and soundboard in her lap.

Moments of intimacy like Garbus’ stint centerstage fed the crowd’s excitement more than the more distanced parts of the set. With a bridge built to the audience via her wooden chair, Garbus shared some of the reasoning behind “Better Dreaming” and its return to their original sound.

As of its sixth album, Tune-Yards truly is a family band with Garbus and Brenner’s three-year-old joining the project with some vocals for the album’s lead single, “Limelight.” As Garbus sat in front of the audience, she explained that in order to cover more vocal ground while maintaining the ambition of a two-person project, Tune-Yards filled in the gaps on “Better Dreaming” by looping Garbus’ voice and Brenner’s instruments, like the group’s earlier work.

Though Tune-Yards started as a solo band with Garbus looping her own voice, the group eventually took on three more people, including her bassist and eventual husband, Brenner. However, before “Better Dreaming” was made, the band narrowed down to just Garbus and Brenner, leaving the two of them to make a two-person band sound like one twice its size.

Garbus got back on her feet and behind the tech for the remaining songs, with extra weight behind each pedal pushed as the group’s downsizing made her technical control extra impressive. By the set’s finale — which was fittingly “Limelight” — the audience cheered every time she started a new loop as if it was the first time she’d made a foundation for an entire song with a single sound.

While there should have been more songs off the new record on the setlist, the duo brought enough passion to their music for four musicians at the Bellwether. The colorful lighting choices, get-ups and vocals reflected the whimsy of Tune-Yards’ music.

Though the group would benefit from more engagement with their audience and confidence on stage, their calm throughout the night soothed some of the more nervous attendees entering the theater from a Los Angeles in turmoil. Likewise, the crowd’s excitement fed the on and offstage duo’s energy, making for an impressive and charming performance as a funky homeostasis permeated the Bellwether’s inhabitants.