Innerspeaker: Summer Salt + John Myrtle

About

On Reside, their fourth LP, SUMMER SALT continue the push and pull between where they’ve been and where they’re going, honoring the sun-soaked charm that won them their devoted fanbase while exploring new creative terrain. While the 13-track Reside carries the same effortlessly beautiful melodies, delicate introspection and hazy instrumentation that have colored albums like 2021’s Sequoia Moon and 2023’s Campanita, the process of constructing the songs was quite literally flipped on its head this time around, with drummer/multi-instrumentalist Eugene Chung handling the bulk of the songwriting duties, later leaning on his bandmates (frontman Matthew Terry and multi-instrumentalist Winston Triolo) to bring his ideas to life. The result is an album that carries Summer Salt’s hallmark aesthetic, a swirl of surf pop, bossa nova and retro indie that evokes long coastal drives and the slow exposure of Polaroid photos on scorching summer afternoons while offering new emotional textures and lyrical depth. Even after its final notes fade, Reside lingers, the sort of feelings that stick with you after the sun has set, the summer has slipped away, and the golden haze of memory begins to clear. In those quiet, reflective moments, Summer Salt’s music hums: familiar and full of feeling. It’s a gentle reminder of the past and a nudge toward the future, but also the stillness of the now. You’ll get where you’re going eventually. Until then, be where you are.