At 30, Hoboken indie-rock band Yo La Tengo stays true to itself

Many long-lasting bands go through a similar career arc: They develop their sound on a few early albums, peak midcareer, then coast into middle or old age. Hoboken's Yo La Tengo is a rare exception.

The band never had a breakthrough moment where it was the talk of the indie-rock world. All it did instead was make consistently good-to-great albums year after year until it practically became an institution.

Now, the trio known for its humility is taking a well-deserved victory lap, celebrating its 30th anniversary with two shows at Town Hall.

"It seemed like the right thing to observe it, having stoically blown past 10 and 20," said bassist James McNew. "It feels very alien to celebrate or acknowledge ourselves in such a traditional sense, in public, but I am not complaining."

The band is also marking the occasion with a deluxe reissue of its 1993 album "Painful," featuring a dozen bonus tracks and the first edition of their newsletter "YLT Gazette" in 14 years.

"It turned out we had a fairly vast collection of live recordings, demos, session outtakes, photos, artifacts, all from that time," said McNew. "I'm so glad we didn't throw it out! Once we make a record, it's rare that we ever listen to it again, and we keep the songs with us in our live shows. ... They change over time, just like us."

One thing that hasn't changed is the band's commitment to not following trends.

At a time when many of its one-time peers are on the reunion circuit, perhaps that's the secret to staying together for three decades.

"I don't think we ever really thought about it," said McNew when asked about Yo La Tengo's longevity. "We didn't have much of a career goal in mind, still don't, and we have done our own thing on our own terms. It's kind of a miracle, one that I'm thankful for every morning."

So, what do the next 30 years hold?

"Pretty much the same thing," said McNew.