The Backseat Lovers (2025)

One Liner: Utah boys making loose rock jangles

Wikipedia Genre: indie rock, alternative rock, folk rock
Home: Utah

Poster Position: Top Quarter - Line 5
Weekend One Only.

Saturday.

T-Mobile Stage at 6:15.

Thoughts:  Last here in 2021, but way down the poster back then.  They've risen considerably, which is only surprising because normally rock and roll is dying and not rising.  But literally last time they had one of those kiss-of-death 1:45 on Friday afternoon slots.  Now they are somehow on a higher billing than Modest Mouse?!

Digging it.  Finally, a little rock and roll in the poster.

Their bio on their management website gives this background story: "The band started when Josh [Harmon], having heard of local drummer Juice Welch, introduced himself and asked if he wanted to start a band. They immediately started working on arrangements for some of Josh's songs. Later Josh met lead guitarist and vocalist Jonas Swanson while waiting in line for an open mic at the Velour in Provo city. Neither of them got on the list to play that night, so they sat on a park bench outside the venue and played their songs to each other until they ran out of stuff to play. Josh invited Jonas to come down and play with him and Juice. It was that night that Out of Tune, a song Josh had been holding onto since he was 16, came to life when they arranged it as a group."  That tune has a couple different versions on Spotify, but sounds like a good early example of who they were.  29.2 million streams.

The dudes look like they are 16 years old.  Their sound is kind of a Kings of Leon/Strokes sort of thing.  And there is someone else that their lead singer reminds me of, but its not coming to me right now.  Someone I like, who has that same rough-edged voice at times.  He's almost got a Brit sound to him - kind of like the singer from Travis.  A little bit of that dude who was supposed to come to ACL but then bailed and I was very sad, uh, the "Hypersonic Missles" guy, uh, Sam Fender!  Thanks Google!  NO!  It just hit my brain like a lightning bolt - this guy reminds me of Benjamin Booker!  Another dude I discovered through ACL Fest.  Super good.  Anyway, after forming, they won a battle of the bands contest at a Provo, Utah venue.

Their first album - 2019's When We Were Friends - is pretty solid - I think their guitarist is legit.  One song off of that album has exploded - two other tunes crack 100 million streams, but then "Kilby Girl" is out there with 413.1 million streams.  

Yeah buddy.  Jangle those jangly guitars right up into my jangle spot.  "Intuition" is a good track too, with a cool tempo change.  "Heavy" is a good one too.  I'll give you one more, their second-most streamed at 156.6 million.  "Maple Syrup" (although this is an acoustic version, on a sailboat, with a pretty sunset going on in the background).

It's hard to see his mouth, but it feels like the music doesn't match the video, which would seem impossible to do.  Either way, a nice version of the tune.

After that, one more album, 2022's Waiting to Spill.  Interestingly, at least to me, only two tracks from that disc have made their way into the band's top ten on Spotify.  I guess people just dig the first disc.  For me, not sure why.  I mean, nothing here is as catchy as "Kilby," but it is still a solid disc of rock and roll pleasure.  Maybe its a little more chill overall, but I still enjoy.  "Growing/Dying" is the top streamer with 24.3 million spins.

So, I have a plant on my windowsill in my office that exemplifies that really well - seems like it is always an inch from death before another little leaf pops out.  I got the plant after it protected President Joe Biden one time.  Which sounds very strange but is entirely true.

I'd absolutely go see this show.  Hell, if they played an aftershow one night, I'd be up for going to see them in a smaller venue.