MUSIC PICKS SEP 14 - 20 

• @parkereastmondfilms
• Welcome Home Sundance

Welcome Home Sundance @ Velour 9/14
Listening to Welcome Home Sundance is like being welcomed home. Pressing play on any of their tracks is like being wrapped up in a warm blanket and snuggling up in your favorite place to sit. The quartet started putting out music in 2020, and while it wasn't the best time for the world, at least we were introduced to some great new tunes. The group has kept busy since then, releasing several singles, an EP and a full album; their most recent release includes remixes of some of their songs from the last few years. Instead of detailing all of their releases, I want to focus on their 2022 EP I Don't Wanna, a four-song collection characterized by those blanket-wrapping feelings mentioned earlier. It starts out with "Trust," a slow and comforting track that has a soft beat and gentle vocals. It sets the tone nicely for the rest of the collection, especially when you get to the title track. There are so many things in life to which we all probably say "I don't wanna," and this song perfectly encapsulates that mood. Welcome Home Sundance combines a delightful mix of electronic elements with soft indie-rock sounds—you still get some delicate electric guitar and drums, but you also get dreamy electronic sound effects throughout. If you're so inclined to start listening to Welcome Home Sundance, I Don't Wanna is a good place to start. Catch the group on Thursday, Sept 14 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show are $10, and can be found at 24tix.com. (Emilee Atkinson)

• Jasmine Safaeian
• Jai Wolf

Jai Wolf @ Union Event Center 9/16
My brain was created to like Sajeeb Saha's music. He's one of those artists whose approach is almost curatorial, and defies expectations time and time again. The Bangladeshi-American, New York-based electronic music producer known as Jai Wolf is bringing his new show, Blue Babu Live, to the Beehive State. Wolf has been on a tear as of late, and his impressive Coachella set earlier this year signals that the best is yet to come. "I have been trying to challenge myself and push myself into different directions that I haven't tried before," he told EDM Identity in 2022. "I don't want to make an album that feels like The Cure To Loneliness again. That's not what I want the next area to be defined by." As a kid, Wolf was not allowed to listen to any other type of music except traditional Bengali music, in order to preserve and teach his cultural roots. That's always been one of the fascinating aspects of his music, at least for me. The sampling, mixing and composing doesn't hold itself to one genre, but picks and chooses the best of sounds, rhythms and phrases, blending them into something else. The detail and care for every last aspect enhances the experience. Kasbo and Myrne open. Catch these acts at the Union Event Center on Saturday, Sept 16. Doors at 5:30 p.m., show at 6:30 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show range from $29.50 general admission to VIP packages from $114.50, and can be found at ticketmaster.com (Mark Dago)

• Imran Ciesay
• Daniel Caesar

Daniel Caesar @ The Complex 9/17
Daniel Caesar is one of the few artists who can wear his influences on his sleeves without beating you over the head with them. The 28-year-old Canadian singer/songwriter born Ashton Dumar Norwill Simmonds—professionally known as Daniel Caesar—has been compared to contemporaries like Frank Ocean and Miguel. However, he's created his own lovely little atmospheric world while making a name for himself in the R&B Genre. His third album, Never Enough, was released on Republic earlier this year, and for every familiar path on his latest long-play, there are many unexpected moves. "I go into an album thinking I know what I'm gonna sing about or write about, and then three-quarters of the way through the album, it always changes. Every time I pick a title starting an album, I know it's gonna change, but I pick it so that I have a bearing," Caesar told Grammy.com. "I can't stick to a program, so I know it's gonna tell me what it is. With songs, too, I learn about myself by writing." For the uninitiated, go ahead and download "Best Part" (featuring H.E.R.) and listen to it one evening with the lights low and your favorite beverage of choice. Caesar is reaching past the Old Veaux R&B aesthetic of most current musical acts, or at least challenging it. Orion Sun opens. Catch these artists on the Superpowers World Tour when it's at the Complex on Sunday, Sept 17. Doors at 6 p.m, show at 7 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show are $69.50 general admission at thecomplexslc.com (MD)

• Babysweet
• Foy Vance

Foy Vance @ The State Room 9/18
Much-heralded Northern Irish singer/songwriter Foy Vance isn't especially well-known on this side of the Atlantic, but his warm, engaging melodies and folk-like finesse all but assure a certain populist appeal. Those who are unfamiliar get a second chance at discovering him courtesy of a domestic re-release of his 2013 breakthrough album Joy Of Nothing, a sophomore set that garnered him a critical and commercial breakthrough along with the very first Northern Ireland Music Prize. Vance also became Ed Sheeran's second signing to his Gingerbread Man Records label, and his subsequent two studio albums—The Wild Swan (2016) and Signs Of Life (2021)— furthered his fame. As his reputation grew, he became an in-demand songwriter, responsible for four of the tracks on Sheeran's 2017 album Divide as well as collaborations with Alicia Keys, Keith Urban, Kacey Musgraves and Miranda Lambert. Yet despite the fact that he's well-versed in a variety of genres, it's his intimate songs and sweetly-shared melodies that find his music as illuminating as it is engaging. In a press release announcing the archival album's reissue, Vance told antiMusic, "It's hard to articulate how much it means to have created something that you can inhabit just as well as I can. Regarding The Joy of Nothing... well it still exists and there is joy in it yet..." Clearly then, there's something to Nothing after all. Foy Vance performs at the State Room at 8 p.m. on Monday, Sept 18. Tickets cost $37 general admission at tix.axs.com. (Lee Zimmerman)

• Kinzie Schoen
• The Lingo

The Lingo, Chegoya @ Urban Lounge 9/20
Even though the seasons are changing, you're still able to get a good dose of sunshine and psychedelia from SLC through The Lingo. Transport yourself back in time to a groovy 1960s vibe with the band's introductory track "Melted Coyote." You get all you could want from the psychedelia sound with The Lingo: reverb galore, dreamy background vocals and a sound that will make you want to drift away in a sea of color. "Melted Coyote" also comes with a music video that adds to that nostalgic feel, blending a desert aesthetic with the psych vibes. It's got plenty of cacti, rock arch formations and even takes you to the beach to watch surfers catch some waves. This single is brand new, having dropped on Sept 1, so hopefully we get to hear more tasty retro sounds from The Lingo soon. Joining The Lingo is jazz fusion group Chegoya, a group who offer a different sound from the aforementioned act, but it'll be a fun and interesting contrast in just one show. Chegoya comes with a big and smooth sound, featuring slick bass, punchy keys and big-sounding brass instruments. If you're looking for a fun time and a great variety in music, this is the show for you. Come catch these locals on Wednesday, Sept 20 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the 21+ show are free, but be sure to head to 24tix.com to "buy" a ticket to reserve a spot for entry. (EA)