Boston Goes Loony for Lunar
By Sophie Severs
Repasky and Wulkan playing guitar and bass, respectively.
The moon has always had a special sway over humans. This sway was especially strong as Lunar Vacation took the stage on Feb. 26, to open for The Beths at Boston’s Royale.
Since their formation in the summer of 2016, Lunar Vacation has had a steady ascent in the indie scene. Defining themselves on their BandCamp as “Atlanta Pool Rock,” the band has a discography full of groovy tunes that brought memories of sunny days sitting by the pool to the frigid air and snowy slush of Boston.
The band consists of guitarist/vocalist Grace Repasky (she/her), guitarist/backing vocalist Maggie Geeslin (she/her), keys/synth player Matteo DeLurgio (he/him) and drummer Connor Dowd (he/him). Bassist Ben Wulkan (he/him) joins the four for live shows.
The band strolled onstage with shy grins on their faces, humbly preparing to dive into a 35 minute setlist. The room fell silent as Repasky began to pluck out the beginning of “Purple Dreams No. 4,” lovingly abbreviated as “PURP” on their handwritten setlist.
Handwritten setlist, featuring wasps!
The majority of the set consisted of songs from the band’s debut album, Inside Every Fig is a Dead Wasp, released in 2021. The album expands upon the dreamy garage rock that Lunar Vacation has previously captured with a cohesive and bright sound. Each track flows smoothly into the other, lending a bright soundtrack to lyrics that entail feeling lost and melancholy.
Audience members swayed along with Repasky to tunes from the record like the intricate “Peddler” and the effervescent “Mold,” making sure to sing extra loud to fan favorites, “Shrug” and “Unlucky.”
As this show marked their first time playing in Boston, the band members seemed to visibly shiver as Repasky noted the hefty amount of snow and blue salt covering the streets. Her comments made the lyric “I couldn't believe my feet froze from the street,” from the band’s song “Peddler” even more vivid. Evidently the band was not fully prepared for the wintery slush of Boston post-snowfall, but the mounds of dirty snow littered with discarded Marlboro cigarette boxes did not stop them from expressing excitement at returning to play in Boston again. Though they made sure to assert that this would most likely be when the weather is just a tad warmer.
Repasky during “Mold”.
Throughout the set, the band shared snippets of stories with the audience— the audience verbally awwwwed at the band dedicating their performance of “Too Late, Colin” to twelve-year-old Boston local, Theo Collins (he/him), who had donated his monthly allowance to the Royale during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lunar Vacation clearly loves what they do— and they’re good at it. The band’s live sound is immaculate, proving their dexterity by elevating the studio versions of their songs. The warmth and clarity of Repasky’s voice sticks with listeners long after the songs end. Each member of the band is in complete control over their instrument, working to weave their individual sounds together to create the fullness that Lunar Vacation is known for. They need no extravagant tricks or flashy moves to capture the audience's attention; just watching Repasky gently sway and feel the music as she sang and seeing Geeslin smile as she nailed a tricky lick caused the audience to emerge into an uproar. The band as a whole seemed to enter a trance as they performed, bashfully smiling and coming back down to earth as their set came to an end.
Repasky briefly lingered onstage after the set closed, giving her guitar pick out to an eager fan (me) and sharing kind words with adoring audience members.
Lunar Vacation continues to grow as a band, showing off their musical prowess with show after show. The sky is the limit with these five talented humans—or maybe the moon. Allow me to paraphrase lyrics to the band’s “Gears” in saying that after their concert, I “don't wanna be without [Lunar Vacation]/In this life or the next.”
Geeslin and Repasky hammering out riffs in “Monterey”.