The Backseat Lovers performed at Weber State University for the first time on Oct. 13, as part of the festivities leading up to the homecoming football game.
Though the rising indie-rock band has only been together for less than six months, they are quickly finding success and have gained a following throughout Utah.
The band, which is from the Salt Lake area, consists of lead singer and guitarist Josh Harmon, drummer and background vocalist Juice Welch, bass player Ethan Christensen and guitarist Jonas Swanson.
The band comes from diverse musical backgrounds. Harmon describes their music as a mix between indie, rock, folk and a little pop.
“Pretty much all of our songs have a different feel to them, which we love,” Welch said. “It makes it more interesting for us.”
After briefly forming about a year and a half ago, the band reconnected in June to compete at the Velour’s Battle of the Bands in Provo. The band exceeded their own expectations by winning both nights’ competitions.
“We played our first show on the first night and we said, ‘wow, we actually have some pretty good stage chemistry, this is a lot of fun,’” Harmon said.
Their success at the Battle of the Bands competitions changed their attitude from being a band that practiced occasionally to a band that wanted to be full-time.
Since reconnecting as a band, The Backseat Lovers released their first 5 song EP, Elevator Days, in early June. In October, the band released their first single, Maple Syrup, which the band performed at the Weber State concert.
The band’s energy was hard to miss, as the crowd clapped and cheered throughout the entire performance.
WSU student Madsen Wessman, who attended the performance, said their music was catchy and entertaining.
“Their songs were music that I definitely could see myself jamming out to in the car, and the whole crowd seemed to be getting into it and having a good time as well,” Wessman said.
Harmon and Swanson agreed the energy and enthusiasm from their performances comes easy because of the friendship and chemistry they have together.
“Without even talking to each other, we’re just four or five steps ahead of the game, and we know what each other’s thinking,” Welch said.
Welch described the band’s ability to work together in the song writing process as cohesive and positive. The majority of the time, either Harmon or Swanson will come up with an idea or part of a song, and the band will get together to finish writing the song as a group.
“We all put our heads together and build off of each other,” Welch said. “It’s always a great day when a new song pops up.”
Harmon does the majority of the songwriting.
“I like to write music that’s rewarding for me to play and makes me feel satisfied and feel like I’m creating something that’s part of me,” Harmon said.
The band is constantly looking for new ways to get their music known and grow their fan base, with the goal of their music being played from coast to coast.
In the spring, the band will be moving into a house together to put full time energy into making music and saving money.
“We want to be sustainable as a full time gig,” Christensen said. “Not just make tons of money and hit it huge, but to be able to play and support ourselves and do what we love.”
The Backseat Lover’s music can be found on iTunes and Spotify.
