_{By Zach Collier
Photos By Ivan Martinez}

Tonight’s Battle of the Bands at The Boardwalk was bittersweet. It was announced that this would be the last Battle of the Bands here, as the venue is planning on closing its doors in June. I’ve been present for five of the six The Boardwalk Battle of the Bands competitions, and I can confidently say that the program they’ve run here has had such a positive impact on the Provo music scene as a whole.

Over the last three years, it’s created an entirely new dynamic in the scene; given rise to several prominent new bands; and has significantly improved the genre diversity here. Tonight was a perfect example of that genre diversity, and honestly was my favorite The Boardwalk Battle of the Bands ever.

Calling Card

Calling Card kicked off the night with a sound I haven’t heard at The Boardwalk before. I was drawn in from the very opening chord – because boy did they have their tones locked in. Washy, chorusy, and smooth, this song was reminiscent of both Le Dad and Pale Dream. Eventually the first song dropped into a disco infused number with a really great shuffle breakdown.

Their lead singer has a phenomenal voice with crossover appeal. The kind that — over rock music — makes it feel unique, but could also easily kill it on a pop track. Their second song proved this point. It felt very much like early The 1975 / The Band CAMINO / Patternist / CRUISR because it had catchy guitar licks for DAYS.

Further cementing this versatility is the back half of their set, which felt ’50s revival (especially their song “You’re All I Need”) with elements of The B-52’s. Through all the change ups, everything felt strangely cohesive instead of being eclectic. I never once got tonal whiplash. It kept me guessing, but in the best way. Calling Card just might be my favorite new Provo band.

Coastal City

These guys are definitely a vibe. Chugging, heavy guitars gave them a ’90s mainstream rock vibe. Not grunge, not alt – that mid ’90s mainstream. Think the happier elements of Weezer’s Blue Album (like “Surf Wax America”) and the heavier elements of Fountains of Wayne’s debut (“Joe Rey,” “Survival Car”).

What I loved most about Coastal City was how heavy on vocal harmonies they were. It’s not something I would’ve expected, but it’s really cool. They’ve got a dual lead vocalist thing going on, and they compliment each other perfectly. These guys write great hooks (especially when they’re leaning on gang falsettos), and the lead guitar work is stellar. Their lead guitarist has insanely unique tones, but he knows what he’s doing. It’s noisy, it’s weird, but it’s COOL. They had SO much energy and put on a GREAT set. Face melting solos with behind the back guitar work, absolutely raucous drumming, and infectious smiles and energy. 

The only issue with them tonight was that they played a set, whereas Calling Card put on a SHOW. This is a recurring criticism during BotB finals articles and is kind of a staple around here, so this is less directed at Coastal City and is meant more to help educate any bands reading this. If between each song you’re saying, “Thanks guys. That was [song title]. This next one is called [song title],” it’s fine. It’s functional. Sometimes even good if you’ve got charisma. But no matter how good you are at it, when every transition is done this way, it can rob your set of some momentum and artistry. There are lots of things you can do instead of talking each time between songs: having songs that share the same key bleed into each other; kicking off the next song immediately after applause; having ambient noise build momentum during tuning breaks; h*ck, even having the drummer vamp the next song’s drum part underneath whatever speech you have planned can spruce it up and keep the energy high.

Bringing it back to Coastal City, their first three songs had great transitions and felt like a show, but that artistic momentum didn’t quite carry through the entire set. 

Teddy P

This band should not be good. It really shouldn’t be good. But by h*cking golly, they’re a ROMP. Their opening number was a perfect primer for their vibe. Dressed in suits and sunglasses, their frontman led us through a spoken word hook about loving his girlfriend (think Cake’s spoken word verses, but jazzy). Plot twist — he didn’t have a girlfriend. Second plot twist – the entire audience was his girlfriend and he loved us for coming to the show. It was absurd and surreal. They then executed a perfectly locked in groove with RIPPIN sax solos.

Teddy P‘s second song was a smooth jazz number with sexy, swirling ambient synths and solid synth bass. Jazz as a genre has become pretty inaccessible and academic to most people. These guys (through a combo of hilarious parody and remarkable composition) stripped away all of the pretentiousness and channeled it straight to the masses. It was an impressive and rippin good time, with one of the greatest synth solos I’ve ever heard in my life.

The only downside is that this inherently won’t be for everyone. It’s kind of like I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson, Andy Kaufman standup, or any Nathan Fielder show ya know? To those who get the humor, it’s absolutely iconic and laugh-til-you cry fun. But some people just won’t get it. My main suggestion for them is to go harder on the surreal elements of their show. The music is there, but some judges weren’t sure if they were serious or joking (which is kind of the point). But they’ve GOTTA clear the uncanny valley of this kind of humor. With Andy Kaufman and Nathan Fielder, both comics are able to move the audience from the genuinely concerned “Um… is this real?” to the fun and incredulous “Surely this can’t be real. It has to be fake!”

The difference is subtle, but important.

UltraVatic

Guys, UltraVatic has invented a new genre. Not quite sure what to call it, but it’s one of the coolest things I’ve heard in a very, very long time.

Yesterday, Jeremy Thacker described them as “atonal dance noise electronic rock,” a label that captures their chaotic and genre-defying sound. It’s a mix of industrial noise, dissonant instruments, and raw energy that somehow works brilliantly in practice. It’s an intense and bizarre experience that proves unexpectedly addictive.

Their recordings feel much more mainstream and accessible than their live show (which I think is a good thing), but their live show HAS to be experienced. It’s so cool.

I had no notes or criticisms for UltraVatic. In the end, it came down to the age old “Mainstream vs. Alt” debate, and music competitions are entirely subjective. But UltraVatic is a VERY good band.

Results

The judges deliberated for quite a while. We were all genuinely thrilled by each of the bands for different reasons. And each of the bands managed to squeeze out some bonus points from the crowd vote, biggest audience, etc. that left things pretty split.

At the end of the day, though, Calling Card put on a technically solid performance with mainstream appeal, memorable energy, and catchy hooks. They walked away with the trophy, the championship belt, and their names in the Provo Music Magazine archives as the last ever The Boardwalk Battle of the Bands Champions.

Thanks for hanging with us all week. We’re looking forward to other massive community events like Velour’s Summer 2025 Battle of the Bands and Fork Fest. (Tickets for Fork Fest are on sale now, and you can use the code ProvoMusicMag at checkout to save $2.)

Make sure to follow Calling Card on Instagram and check out their song “You’re All I Need” below!

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