Dayton band Summer Crush subverts expectations with debut record

On a Wednesday, in a sweltering basement somewhere in East Dayton, the four members of the band Summer Crush run through the set they’ll be playing on Sept. 13 at Blind Bob’s.

Siren Suit (Cincinnati) and Echo Days (Dayton) will round out the bill of high-volume rock music.

The night will serve as the fourth official show for Summer Crush. It will also be the first time the band’s self-titled debut will be on the merch table. But it’s not a record release show since the band is judiciously not describing it as such; it’s just a show where the first Summer Crush record just happens to be available.

I asked the band about the classification when I was in the sweltering basement along with them.

They collectively agreed that because this is only the band’s fourth show, it wouldn’t have the necessary pull to headline a gig. Then again, that hasn’t stopped the band from putting out a seven-song vinyl record four gigs in either.

But a soft record release — on a bill the band is opening on — is pretty punk. It subverts expectations for the normal stratagem, and subverting expectations is perhaps what Summer Crush does best.

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At rehearsal the band plays facing the wall, the one the setlist is taped to. Guitarist/vocalist Gretta Smak and bassist/vocalist Bruce Hull butt their respective mic stands up against the washer and dryer. Guitarist Ryan France — who also designed the album art — stands further away but is essentially on the frontline, too. And behind them all is drummer Joe Eversole voraciously smacking his kit with a pair of carbon fiber sticks.

A few songs in, it’s clear this mono-direction style of rehearsing is not an artistic choice but rather a pragmatic one: they are in show-mode position.

They don’t awkwardly stare at each other while running through songs without an audience; they pretend there is an audience, made up of a brick wall and some appliances. They’re not bantering into the mics, but they play off each other and acquire a muscle memory for visual cues before getting on stage. It’s like a dress rehearsal; it’s the simple practice of knowing where everyone is for the sake of a tighter performance.

This formation may appear strange to someone on the outside, one who might not initially understand why they’re standing like that, but Summer Crush is arguably doing rehearsal the right way. And given how the band cruises through the set with nary a mistake to the unknowing ear, it might be onto something.

When I first heard about Summer Crush, the concept behind it was likened to the seminal punk band X, with dual male and female vocalists. At its core, it does check those boxes with Bruce and Gretta out front, mirroring their vocal parts (i.e. Bruce mirroring Gretta on lead).

But despite the cheery name, Summer Crush is a sonically dark band that’s made an equally dark debut. Produced by Paul Grace Smith at Burning Ear Studios (Detroit), “Summer Crush” might have more in common with goth, early 90s punk, emo and riot grrrl than with a band like X.

Heavy, dissonant riffs are found throughout the record (with the first track “Sixx” laying the groundwork). There are moments of relief in songs like “Ride Away” and “Diamond Sky,” but this debut is otherwise gritty and relentless.

Gretta’s vocals cut through the sludge while Bruce’s sit lower in the mix, giving him more agency to noodle on the bass. Gretta’s and Ryan’s dynamic guitars compliment each other like two shadowy characters in a fever dream. And Joe’s one of the hardest-hitting drummers around — direct to the cochleas, I might add.

Summer Crush could be a ska or new wave band in an alternate universe but definitely not in ours. Amongst the darkness, there are poppy sensibilities. Albeit buried and caked with mud.

By juxtaposing a sunny band name with a cloudy pretense, Summer Crush flips the script on the depthless idea of the summer crush: it’s not just a carefree fling, but a road to eventual heartbreak. After a couple months, the fun’ll be over and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.

Except maybe listen to a band who subverts expectations.

“It’s our version of pop,” Gretta said. “That’s as happy as we get.”

Contact this contributing writer at branberry100@gmail.com.