Take an early summer vacation with indie band Summer Salt

The two core members of Summer Salt / Courtesy of Summer Salt

By Jamie Finn

U.S.-based lounge-indie band Summer Salt has been lighting it up with its summery sound since the release of their 2014 debut album "Driving to Hawaii." Their lilting guitar sounds have struck a chord with fans who connect with the breezy aesthetic and dreamy lyrics. Ahead of their Asia tour, which sees them play dates in Seoul, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Indonesia, band member Eugene Chung spoke with The Korea Times about their sound, their journey and how they manage to stay so breezy.

It's hard not to get lost in the laid-back, beachy world of this Texas-originated band. Summer Salt's warm indie-pop aesthetic and illustrative vacation-friendly lyrics transport the listener instantly to a sandy island setting.

But how does the band manage to maintain its cool and breezy demeanor?

"I'm glad we're perceived that way," laughs Eugene, drummer and co-songwriter of the band. "Musically, we like things that are not too busy, and that really plays into the easygoing songwriting style that we're going for. It's not always a conscious decision, but a reflection of our personalities."

Summer Salt's positive attitude is possibly best reflected in their name. Not only does it contribute to the hot season imagery, it's also a straightforward pun. Incidentally, it's not the only example of what Eugene describes as "goofy" wordplay. The band refers to its style of music as "coral-reef-rock," which is both an apt description and also a bit of tongue-in-cheek fun. Coral is sort of like a rock, get it?

Humor is an intrinsic part of Summer Salt, especially when they were younger. The duo met in high school and were all about having a good time. While they have grown up since those days, fun is still central to their ethos.

Despite finding ways to enjoy themselves, though, the duo were eager to leave their hometown of Dallas for the "cultural oasis" of Austin. "Matt and I both grew up in Dallas, and, in many ways, it felt like living in a bubble, especially growing up in the suburbs," Eugene says. "Austin was a completely different world. We were surrounded by music which is something we'd always wanted to do. Politically as well, it was very different. Dallas being very conservative, and Austin being more liberal, which is closer to how we feel about things."

Between frequent lyrical references to Dallas and Austin as well as vivid, scene-setting descriptions, geography seems important to the music of Summer Salt. We like to write from our own experiences and the experiences of those around us," Eugene explains, "so that goes hand in hand with writing about the place we are. For the kind of music we make, feeling like you're in a certain kind of location, a chilled-out sunny space, that's important, I think."

Despite living in places like Dallas, Austin and, more recently, San Francisco, Eugene is no city boy. "I think I'm a perfect mix of both city and countryside. I love being outside, but I need to be around people and where things are happening," he says.

The two core members of Summer Salt / Courtesy of Summer Salt

Another common theme in their lyrics is escapism. There are a lot of lines about leaving the humdrum working world behind and going somewhere new. The band so perfectly captures that feeling of being on vacation that just listening to Summer Salt can feel like escapism.

When asked about this, Eugene says, "I would be honored if people could relate to it in that way. A lot of our music is about escaping and dreaming and leaving a place that you don't wanna be in or have already mentally left. So if people can relate to that and see us as part of that, I'd be honored. We're both big dreamers, Matt and I, so that is definitely part of it. Also, the shared desire to leave the places we grew up in probably played a big part."

The duo have been working together for over 15 years and have four albums and several EPs under their belt, with a slew of international live shows to boot. Despite some evolution in their style, Eugene insists that they have stayed true to the core sound that they started with. "I think our style has changed a little, but the roots have remained the same. We have progressed, especially in terms of our production and the quality of our songwriting. Everything we do now feels intentional, and we've tried to expand our sound for our upcoming album."

Yet, while the band builds on its sound and continues to move forward, there is still a sense of nostalgia to what the members do. This is especially true of their last full-length, "The Juniper Songbook," in which Summer Salt reworked some tracks from their earlier days. "We wanted to rerecord some songs that not only people liked a lot, but songs that we wanted to do a little differently," Eugene says. "These are all songs that we made years ago, and maybe they didn't come out exactly as we had intended."

The two core members of Summer Salt / Courtesy of Summer Salt

The band is preparing to embark on a six-date tour of Asia, including a Seoul stint on March 7, the first time Summer Salt plays in Korea. Eugene is a Korean American, and playing here holds a special meaning for him. "My parents immigrated to the States, and I was born in California. Still, I grew up in a very 'Korean household' and went to a Korean school and a Korean church. I haven't been there in about 20 years, and this is the first time that we've played a show. I am excited to bring the band over and show them some of that world."

Over the last few years, Eugene has been listening to lots of Korean indie bands. "I really love Say Sue Me," he said. "I met them in Thailand, and they're very nice. I also love Se So Neon, Hyukoh and Aseul. My mum really likes Jannabi, too."

What should the Seoul audiences expect when Summer Salt perform here? "People can look forward to a good time," he says. "We try our best to give good energy, and hopefully, the audience in Seoul can feel that."

Visit summersalt.band for more information, and summersaltband.bandcamp.com to hear the band.

Jamie Finn is chief editor of Platform Magazine.