_{By Joe Vickrey}

As I put on my Lunar Spirit shirt tonight, I remembered two things clearly. First, I thought of the friends I made during my wonderful Battle of the Bands experience in the winter. And second, I was reminded that sky blue is just not my color. With The Boardwalk’s spring competition being announced all the way back in March, I was excited to hear what the groups had in store with that much prep time. That feels like ages in band time. 

Cansisco

Cansisco kicked off the evening with a chill, indie pop vibe with heavy emphasis on the vibe. There wasn’t a still set of hips in the house while they played. Wistful vocals and dreamy textures floated gently over a bumpin’ rhythm section throughout their set, which climaxed with their last song, “The Wedding.” It was their catchiest song, and I swore I could feel the sand between my toes as they tapped to the beachy tune. Their onstage fun felt infectious. As I looked out into a sea of dancing ’90s windbreakers and baseball caps, I could tell that I wasn’t the only one taken.

I was also really impressed by Cansisco’s ability to write a fun song that was intelligent. The chords didn’t always go where you expected them, but the groove stayed solid throughout. On the few occasions where the guitar would solo, it was always classy and smart. It was a great kickoff to say the least. 

In general, Cansisco’s vocals were a bit washed in the mix, which made a couple of the songs hard to latch to. It’s nothing I’d hold against them because that’s just nature of the beast, but I’d love to hear them make a few moments of more vocal gusto. Halfway through their set though they whipped out an impressive three part harmony including some background “ooh’s.” All I could think was, “How dare they be able to sing such sweet harmonies and then only do it once!”

Lighthouse Logic

As Lighthouse Logic set up, I noticed every guitar on stage looked like it belonged to a metal band, and all the soundcheck noises were very chugga chugga. Nothing could’ve prepared me for their opening notes to be backing track piano shooting straight into a hook-oriented pop punk group. It was like the most fun sleight of hand experience I could ask for. Their singer Aubrey immediately piqued my interest. Her vocals gave the songs dimension, as she seemed comfortable moving around the stage (despite a few very minor technical issues with their backing tracks). 

The group’s crowd involvement was second to none, and the audience was there for it. Even during a false start on one song the crowd kept clapping the beat through the restart. Semi-choreographed moments helped direct the listeners’ attention and kept the first half of their performance feeling like a show. If they doubled down on that in the later half of their set, I wouldn’t be mad to be honest. 

What may have impressed me most was the restraint the group had to not let all of their tricks out of the bag too soon. The guitar solos were totally shredder-y, and there were a couple moments of blast beat double bass drum, but it was only in tasteful moments. I’m used to hearing bands overuse technical proficiencies, so to only tease them was a rare treat. 

Kamko

So far, the evening was full of energy, but Kamko went mad. They were completely explosive. Like, not safe around open flames explosive. Kamko’s music sounds like it comes from a pedigree of purebred Provocore. Jangly, thick chords played on guitars above the waist, shuffling hi hat beats, and speak-sung melodies that could’ve been written by Indigo Waves (but sung with full chest voice power). 

Having a dedicated frontman to an indie band was so refreshing. I couldn’t keep my eyes off the stage as he bounced around while belting. A few moments of the show felt like David Byrne-meets-Anthony Kiedes-but-it’s-also-The Moss. I mentioned this and the singer didn’t know who David Byrne was, which is a bummer, because I thought we could be friends up until then (joke!). While the drums were energetic and the guitars were tight, the bass may have been the unsung hero of Kamko because it locked in so tight with the drums that there were moments I forgot it was a separate instrument.

Many of their songs stretched the typical progression, and second verses didn’t feel like just a first verse but louder. While they were probably the youngest band of the evening, I saw a real strong potential budding in them. Though this was only their second show, they sounded great together and I hope the scene gets to see more Kamko. 

Coastal City

I was curious how the next group would follow the raw energy of Kamko, and without a single soundchecked note, Coastal City dove in with a fun little bass hook that was quickly joined by a percussive plinking guitar part. It was all so clever, and before I could even fully process what was going on, they jumped into a pitch perfect sliding three-part harmony. A grin of childlike wonder spread across my face, and I looked back at the other judges to see if they were hearing it too. They were. 

Every song in Coastal City’s set was polished, refined, and maybe most importantly: exciting. It felt like hearing an album. Each member knew exactly where to sit in the mix, when to jump out, and their lead guitarist Joe did a fantastic job of adding texture to each song. I could go on for days about how much I liked them, but what’s hard to explain is how they didn’t necessarily have a sound that’s easily referenced. I guess you’ll just have to listen to them for yourself.

Results

As I sat with the other judges, we couldn’t help but swoon over each group. It was such a fun lineup, and as I heard each group I thought they all had a good chance of moving on to the final, but we could only send one. In the end, we all agreed that Coastal City deserved the win. While it’s hard to beat perfect harmonies, their performance was so much more than that. They certainly sounded the most professional and well-rehearsed tonight. Their performance was locked in, it was catchy, and it was inventive.

Kudos to them, and kudos to me for sticking to my diet and not eating chocolate cake with everyone after the final announcement. As always, The Boardwalk BotB was the place to be. Hearing four incredible bands is definitely the best way you can spend your Tuesday night. Or Wednesday… I mean… it’s going all week, so treat yourself and come hang out! You can catch Coastal City at finals with Calling Card and the rest of this week’s winners this Saturday, May 10. Be sure to follow Coastal City on Instagram!

The Boardwalk’s Spring 2025 Battle of the Bands continues tonight with Gralley, Tainted Ink, Teddy P, and Loafa. Doors open at 6:30 PM. In the meanwhile, check out “Wonder Why” from Coastal City!

_{New to Provo Music Magazine? See also: Inside PMM’s Battle of the Bands Coverage}