The Backseat Lovers

The Backseat Lovers are an indie rock band from Salt Lake City, Utah, formed around vocalist and guitarist Josh Harmon, guitarist Jonas Swanson, bassist KJ Ward, and drummer Juice Welch. The group came together through Salt Lake City's local music scene, with Harmon and Welch starting the project before Swanson joined after meeting Harmon at an open-mic night. Their sound blends jangly guitar interplay, shifting song structures, and earnest, conversational lyricism rooted in the tradition of American indie and alternative rock.

The band's early breakthrough came with the self-produced 2018 EP Elevator Days, which included the single «Out of Tune», a song Harmon had originally written as a teenager. Their profile grew significantly with the track «Kilby Girl», which became a slow-burn streaming hit and introduced the band to a much wider audience beyond Utah.

Their major-label debut full-length, Waiting to Spill, released in October 2022, consolidated their sound across songs like «Maple Syrup», «Watch Your Mouth», and «Sinking Ship», demonstrating a knack for dynamic arrangements that move between quiet, intimate verses and bigger, cathartic choruses. The Backseat Lovers have built their following largely through touring and word of mouth, positioning them within a new generation of guitar-driven indie rock bands that emerged in the late 2010s and early 2020s.