Playing a sold-out show at the Echoplex on Saturday night, almost monday whisked nearly 800 fans away from Echo Park and straight to the beach with their groovy, upbeat indie pop. Fresh off releasing their debut album “DIVE” in 2024 and supporting AJR and THE DRIVER ERA on two different world tours, almost monday’s “DIVE” tour has allowed the band to play to their own fans and soak in the surreal experience of having a room full of people sing your own lyrics back to you.

“When you’re opening for bands — we did a lot of opening last year — you’re constantly wanting to win people’s fanship ,” said Dawson Daugherty, lead singer of almost monday, in an interview before the show with the Daily Trojan. “And when you’re playing a headline show, you know that you’ve already done that … So it just feels a little bit less nerve-wracking, more like, ‘Okay, I see you singing the words. You must like this.’”

The crowd did indeed love not only almost monday themselves but their opener Adrian Lyles. Lyles immediately burst onstage with a rush of excitement and energy as he launched into his small set. At just 20 years old, Lyles has been playing every show he could for the past seven years, and his talent as a performer was clear in the way he bounded across the stage and led the crowd in an engaging and authentic performance.

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Soon enough, it was time for almost monday to take the stage and start their headlining performance. Fans waited eagerly as the lights dimmed and began screaming when the three members of the band walked out. Guitarist Cole Clisby and bassist Luke Fabry exuded a calm coolness as they stood to either side of the rambunctious and playful Daugherty.

The band immediately launched into their hit “can’t slow down,” which peaked at number one on Billboard’s “Alternative Airplay” chart. The crowd surged forward for the high-energy opening song, practically spilling onto the stage as Daugherty bounced around from side to side, smiling and pointing at fans all the while.

A small, diving board-esque prop sat on the right side of the stage, where Daugherty occasionally climbed. With no barrier between the stage and the audience, he seemed to step straight into the crowd as he danced and twirled atop the board while singing about the whirlwind feeling of love.

The band kept up the funky, sunny vibes as they played “cough drops,” sending the crowd into a frenzy. The bass was thumping, and the audience could feel it in their chest as Daugherty continued to spin around the stage.

Part of the allure of almost monday is the way their music is effortlessly catchy with evocative lyrics; as they performed “cough drops,” it felt as if every fan in the room fell in love with Daugherty’s boyish charm as he sang, “I know myself and I don’t need convincing / All I need is you in repetition / All night and every day / Come on, I know you feel the same.”

The band’s musical diversity was on display when they played both “jupiter” and “she likes sports.” “jupiter” proved that they could keep the energy up for the entire show as the crowd waved to the beat while Daugherty continued to traverse the stage from side to side and point and wave to energetic fans in the crowd.

“she likes sports” was an instant crowd favorite. From the first opening notes, the audience jumped and danced along as Daugherty performed with a confident and slightly sassy attitude, smirking at the crowd.

With sweat beading on his sunglasses, Daughtery still gave his all to his performance. He moved with intense physicality while maintaining a captivating stage presence that commanded the small venue. The band’s natural chemistry was evident as they transitioned smoothly from song to song, with both Clisby and Fabry occasionally getting their own moments in the spotlight as they busted out small solos on their instruments.

They ended their set with their song “life goes by,” as Daugherty said they do for every show. The song reminds everyone not to take life too seriously and that, when in doubt, it’s always a good time to go to the beach. The song feels like the thesis of almost monday as a band: As guys raised in Southern California, they’ve realized that life really does go by quickly, and one can make the most of it by soaking up the sun and living in the moment every day.

The crowd sang along faithfully, and the audience could see the joy and appreciation on the band’s faces as they closed out the last show of this headlining United States tour, playing to a sold-out crowd in one of the biggest cities in the world for music lovers.

“I think people resonate with people that are just being themselves,” Fabry said. “People appreciate people doing what is true to them. So as we’ve grown as a band, we’ve just come closer and closer to who we are and what we are as a band.”