IN PHOTOS

Summer Salt croons with Wabie, Boyscott at The Belasco

Three endearing indie pop artists charmed the crowd Saturday night.

Photos by ADEN MAX JUAREZ
Words by ADEN MAX JUAREZ
  • A man plays a guitar on stage.
    (Aden Max Juarez / Daily Trojan)

Lead singer and guitarist for Summer Salt, Matthew Terry, broke out a harmonica, bringing a folksy touch to the band’s breezy indie pop sound Saturday at The Belasco. Combined with his guitar, the instrument added a charming, raw sound to the band’s performance of “Can’t Give It Up,” from their latest album, “Reside.”

Summer Salt, founded by Eugene Chung and Terry in 2012, was joined by Wabie and Boyscott for a night packed with slow jams, endearing lyricism and snappy earworms. The crowd swooned for every song, even after Summer Salt arrived at the venue late due to car troubles, pushing the show late into the night.

Los-Angeles-based indie pop artist Wabie was first to take the stage, opening with “Fishin” before he followed with his smash-hit cover “Hey Lover!,” originally written by The Daughters of Eve. The crowd adored Wabie and eagerly sang along as he put a surf-rock touch on the song with more prominent drums and jumpier guitar strumming than the original song.


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Wabie followed with original music, including tracks from his latest album, “Sun Chaser,” such as “Family of Three” and “Loving Tree.” But the highlight of his set was “Darcy,” off his debut album “Double Superfine,” which dazzled with a beachy, bossa beat and tender vocals. Wabie finished with an energetic performance of “Like Nothing,” with stronger guitar chords contrasting the light vocals as he sang, “Just keep it up, won’t let it down.”

Boyscott drifted onto stage next, the band bringing their signature earthy sound with wistful, daydreamy singing and coastal guitar hooks. Only a few notes into “After Dark,” tranquility fell over The Belasco as the band’s lead singer, Scott Hermo Jr., softly sang “Phosphorescent habit / Lying awake thinking about if / It’s all so holographic.”

Cricket and nature ambient sounds were added between songs to fill the silence as the band rotated performing hits from its two albums, “Goose Bumps” and “Spellbound.” Songs like “Cabin Fever” and “Moose Head” featured sentimental, tender singing from Hermo, creating a sense of comfort and warmth reminiscent of a campfire.

Boyscott closed out their set with the hit track “Nova Scotia 500.” Waves of nostalgia rushed over audience members as they swayed and nodded their heads along with the beat, brought forth by ethereal guitar riffs and granola vibes.

Texas-based band Summer Salt wasted no time keeping up the wistful energy as soon as they stepped into the spotlight, opening with “Seventeen” and “When I Fall.” The band quickly showed their prowess and cohesion as an ensemble, with the balance between instruments and background vocals.

This was especially apparent on tracks like “Rockaway,” where spellbinding background vocals and impressive vocal jumps from Terry enthralled the audience, especially with calming guitar riffs and wispy verses.

When the band performed “Deja Vu” from their album “Electrolytes,” guitarist Winston Triolo and Terry harmonized, making hearts melt with their cozy and sunny sound through lyrics like “Fluorescent wildflowers and butterflies / Fluttering in the breeze.” Chung then beautifully performed “Smile (괜찮을 거야),” mostly in Korean, bringing a fresh, swinging energy to the set.

Jumping into “Driving to Hawaii,” the title track from Summer Salt’s 2014 EP, the crowd waved their hands in the air to the sensual, slow-danceable music. “Fast Furious and Wonderful” picked up the pace with a groovy build-up and drums that kept the song’s momentum going before Terry got down and dirty with a mesmerizing guitar solo outro.

A standout track from Summer Salt was “Revvin’ My CJ7,” which started soft and sweet but quickly picked up in intensity with a punchier bass line and drumbeat. Terry’s vocal flips when singing “From working overtime” in the prechorus were euphonious and flowed perfectly into the chorus: “If I can’t get it into heaven / I best be revvin’ my CJ7.”

“Candy Wrappers” followed shortly after and was another testament to the aptitude of Chung’s control over his dynamics, never overpowering the hushed and gentle sounds from the rest of the band. The track’s verses, sung by Terry, were wispy and airy, just serene enough to linger in the air and pluck a heart string.

Switching it up for the encore, bassist Alex Togashi swapped out his axe for a sleek, black electric cello to accompany the band. He played a small section of Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major” before the rest of the band joined him for “Tell Me.” Togashi’s performance was a treat for the audience as his double stops and slides up and down the fingerboard blended beautifully with the band’s modern sound.

Summer Salt invited a fan onto the stage to lead the crowd in a countdown to start their closer, “Fire Flower,” and jam out with the band. As the song came to a close, the sun-soaked sounds of Summer Salt echoed by the openers were almost assured to linger in the audience’s hearts long after the concert’s end.

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