From playing fan-favorites such as “Kilby Girl” and “Pool House” to singing an unreleased song, the Backseat Lovers‘ performance at the Ritz Saturday, May 27 can only be described as an outstanding and unforgettable live experience. 

After releasing their debut album, “When We Were Friends,” in 2019, the Utah-based indie rock band’s popularity has only grown as they continue to build an enthusiastic fan base around the country. At NC State, the group’s notoriety skyrocketed after their performance at Wolfstock in 2022. Now, after a year of success, the band has embarked on their nationwide “Waiting to Spill” tour, which brings them back to Raleigh. 

The opening act for the concert was Field Medic, Kevin Patrick Sullivan, an up-and-coming lo-fi artist hailing from California. The artist, recognized for his unique use of folk guitar and distinct reedy voice, mesmerized the audience with his fresh and unique sounds and vocals. 

At exactly 9 p.m., Joshua Harmon (lead vocals/guitar), Jonas Swanson (lead guitar/vocals), KJ Ward (bass guitar) and Juice Welch (drums), took the stage to open up their set with the exhilarating track “Know Your Name” from the band’s latest album, “Waiting to Spill.” The song has one of the greatest musical build-ups and features a guitar solo from Harmon that perfectly set up the ambience. 

Their set was followed by a fan-favorite song from their debut album, “Pool House.” The audience started to enthusiastically join in, singing along bits of the lyrics at the top of their lungs.

The band continued playing slow-paced ballads that had the crowd swaying in unison with the guitar rhythms. However, the anticipation in the air was palpable as the excitement built up to one of the band’s most famous songs, “Kilby Girl,” which has gained over 200 million streams on Spotify. 

As soon as Harmon started singing, the audience became ecstatic as they began chanting and screaming the lyrics along with him. When the guitar riff filled the air, the crowd went crazy, and even members of the audience in the balcony erupted into a frenzy of excitement that lasted until the very end of the song. 

Toward the end of the setlist, the band surprised the audience by performing an unreleased song. The unnamed track had a captivating guitar riff that wonderfully highlights the band’s rock sensibilities. 

“Thank you guys for genuinely listening to our music,” Harmon said after playing the song. 

Performing the unreleased song was the band’s way of saying thank you to their fans in Raleigh, and it was the icing on the cake for the concert, which still had four more songs to go. 

The band proceeded to perform more of their most beloved tracks, including “Out of Tune,” “Slowing Down” and “Maple Syrup.”

The band finished the show with “Still a Friend,” the third track from their EP “Elevator Days.” This song, with slow instrumentals toward the end, offered a proper closing to the concert.

However, after what seemed like the end of an exhilarating performance, fans started clamoring for one more song, and within moments, the Backseat Lovers took the stage for an encore. 

The moment Harmon went back on stage, he started singing the opening lyrics of “Sinking Ship,” the last track on their debut album — and it revived the audience. The track started off with a gentle tone, gradually building up to a dynamic and forceful chorus that was met with enthusiastic screams and dancing from the audience. The guitar riffs added to the excitement, eventually serving to close what would be remembered as a live performance for the Ritz record books.