Review: Summer Salt Releases Sequoia Moon

Photo Credit: Andrew Reiner

Summer Salt released their Sequoia Moon album on June 6^th. The trop-pop duo consists of Matthew Terry (vocals/guitar) and Eugene Chung (drums). The album was produced by Phil Ek who has previously worked with Modest Mouse, Built To Spill, and Fleet Foxes. Summer Salt has been rising stars in the Austin, Texas indie music scene. Their last release was Avenue G in 2020.

Terry and Chung have been building to their brand-new album, Sequoia Moon, ever since jettisoning their Dallas, Texas, hometown for the arts-and-culture oasis of Austin after graduating high school in the early 2010s. The band quickly rose through the ranks of the local Austin scene with their 2014 debut Driving To Hawaii, teeming with both the escapism and recklessness of youth and the composure and charm of ‘60s-era pop, doo wop and bossa nova.

2018’s Happy Camper, 2019’s Honeyweed and 2020’s Avenue G further cemented the band’s place as one of the indie genre’s brightest stars. Summer Salt soared past 1 million monthly Spotify listeners and toured the world, all as Live Nation’s Ones To Watch and American Songwriter hailed them for their breezy, synesthetic soundscapes.

Sequoia Moon has an indie flavor filled with dreamy melodic vocals and clean sounding guitars. When I close my eyes and listen to the music, I imagine scenes from a seventies made for tv movie with a couple jogging together on a beach or swinging next to each other on a playground or drinking coffee and laughing in a café. Chung reflecting on the album says, “We loved writing this album with the hope that other people can relate to our stories and bring them some peace this summer.“

The album has produced three singles to date. “’Monday’s Fácil’ is a song that essentially embraces the “get busy living” attitude. I heard a song by Os Mutantes called Panis Et Circenses, where I thought the words were “Monday Fácil. When I looked up the lyrics, this was not at all what they were saying but still the lyric hit me and made me smile,” recalls Matthew Terry. “I decided then that I wanted to make my own tune called Monday’s Fácil or at least use that lyric somewhere.

He continues: “Euji and I just fell in love with the breezy vibe of the song that we definitely wanted to include it on the album. The older we get we’re trying really hard to stay in the moment and stay present. Appreciate each day. A new day, a Monday. Make it easy on ourselves, heading into the week with a leap!”

Terry discusses “Hocus Pocus”: “We all have people in our lives that we would like to be able to make amends with that we know we never will. ‘Hocus Pocus’ was about a past relationship of mine that began as a playful holiday song but took a different turn the more I continued writing. Everyone who passes through our lives plays a role in who we become. This person was significant to me and I wrote this as my goodbye letter to them. Honestly, it’s about the movie. jk:) There are a few references to other artists that I had fun hiding in the lyrics!”

Speaking about “Clover” Terry says “This song is about a friend or partner, whoever they may be, that pulls you out of whatever you’re going through. The clover to your crimson. I was listening to this song a lot during the time when I was writing Clover. Crimson and Clover that is. I guess deep down it’s a song about green eyes, green heart emojis, green luck. Sentimental things like that for us.”

If your preferred style of music is fast and loud with high distortion guitars, then Sequoia Moon is probably not for you. It’s a mellow, airy album more suited for laying in a park and staring at the clouds, reflecting on life. Terry’s falsetto vocals are calming and relaxing. The emphasis is on the vocals with jazzy bright guitar chords and light subtle drums providing support.

Fans can catch the band live this fall. They will be touring the US this September through November playing dates with Covey and Breakup Shoes.