For nearly a year now, Boyfriend Sushi Town has been my poorly kept secret. After stumbling upon them in a Spotify rabbit hole, they’ve dominated my playlists and infiltrated my recommendations. With about 2,000 monthly Spotify listeners and only two albums in their discography I reveled in my niche-ness, but I knew a sound this good must burst the bubble, so I did what any twenty-something with limited influence would do— I stalked their Instagram.
Fast forward a few weeks and I landed an interview with my latest obsession.
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Boyfriend Sushi Town is easily recognized through a unique blend of folk and hardcore elements, combining violin and emo-esque vocals.
Curious about this blending, I ask about whether incorporating hardcore influences was an intentional choice. Laughing, their lead, Moses Coker, explains
“I don’t think we’ve ever done anything intentional to be honest!”
Moses and Ethan Guertler, the band’s violinist, met in high school where Ethan began writing accompaniments to the songs Moses wrote on guitar. Though entering with a folk background, the songs have taken new shape with the joining of members Brandon Cocard on bass and Harry Hagan on drums, bringing production to a new level.
To gather a fully developed image of their inspirations I asked about the music scene from their home and base, Salt Lake City.
“Have you heard of Mac Demarco?” Brandon jokes, “There’s a lot of people doing that.”
Besides the indie uprise, the band describes an influx of darker genres. A screamo scene, emo influences, and as Moses puts it,
“The hardcore scene in general is massive.”
During the writing of their debut, Rufus, Moses and Ethan were listening to bands like Slint and Duster. Though there was never a specific attempt to emulate the sound, Ethan describes how the art you consume creeps its way into the way you create.
“I think being that excited about stuff while you’re making music…it just falls into it naturally.”
When comparing this album with the following release, Player, the new members influence becomes obvious.
Though it captures the previously established sound of Boyfriend Sushi Town, Player dives into a much darker realm especially with tracks like Ski Mask and Snow in Summer, but both albums followed a similar creative writing process which encapsulates a wide variety of life experiences.
Many of the band’s songs are titled after different people and act as an attempt to utilize radical empathy. Moses explains,
“I like to put myself in other people’s shoes to see how I’d react if I was in that scenario…”
In this way, they are not only making music that is accessible to people of differing backgrounds, but creating a vehicle to explore their own emotions by projecting onto these carefully curated characters.
“In this new album I try to focus on using the characters to speak for myself”
It’s these storylines and characters that entranced me. It’s the rare and incomparable feeling of
“this song is talking about me” that has kept me coming back. It feels as though there is an unspoken understanding between Boyfriend Sushi Town and their audience.
In November of 2024 the band finished up their first tour— a DIY effort put together via phone calls. I asked about the learning curves during such a large step in their music career. They agreed touring is no vacation, but the efforts are worth it. At their Boise show, Ethan described a particularly touching fan interaction where a dad and daughter had flown from North Carolina just to see them.
“We’re pretty small… people listen to us, but that was really special.”
Through eclectic experimentation and interest in the human condition, Boyfriend Sushi Town has generated a loyal and sincere audience. They attribute much of this community to Salt Lake itself, grateful for the local artistry and connections the city has offered.
As for what this loyal and sincere audience can expect, their most ambitious album yet, Dogwood, is out now.
Go listen to your new favorite artist,
Boyfriend Sushi Town.
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