Review: Slow Joy @ Crystal Ballroom 4/11

Photo credits: Cydney Holm

Review by Caterina Terrizzi

My favorite way to spend a Friday night is listening to live music. Luckily, indie rock band Slow Joy played a show at the Crystal Ballroom in Somerville this past Friday. Having been recently renovated into a beautiful new live music space, the Crystal Ballroom was the perfect space for this chill indie rock band to play for the night. 

This band “blew up” on TikTok in 2023 and 2024, where videos of the lead singer, Esteban Flores, playing with his band in his living room resonated with audiences all over the globe. Since then, the band has released a couple of EPs, and is planning to release their debut album, “A Joy So Slow At Times I Don’t Think It’s Coming,”  on May 16. The title of this album reflects the band’s nostalgic and melancholic sound felt through their various EPs and singles currently out. 

During the show, the band had two openers: Cherubhead and Flycatcher. Both bands had garage band vibes, which was a great way to prepare for the main act. The first band, Cherubhead, is a local Boston-based rock band. Two years ago, they played their first show with Flycatcher and expressed their gratitude towards the audience for this opportunity. The second band, Flycatcher, was also mostly rock. They’re based in North New Jersey, which they eagerly told the crowd several times. This second band was more interactive with the audience, encouraging people to have conversations with them while onstage, and to jump around to the music. 

After these two bands, Slow Joy took the stage. They began the show with “Pressure” from their “Wildflower” EP, an energetic indie rock anthem. Most of their songs in the set had the same pace, which was upbeat and rock. While maintaining energy this way, almost all of the songs also had a nostalgic and melancholic feel, creating a notable contrast. These feelings funnel perfectly into the name of their new album and the direction their band seems to be heading in. 

During the set, Flores swept across the stage, often leaning over to the guitarist or drummer to interact with them. In particular, he would lie across the drum set while still singing, which was exciting to the audience. Eventually, it got to the point where the drum set became unsteady, and the tour manager had to sneak out onstage and secure the drum set back in place. Finishing the set with “Pulling Teeth,” a single released this year that gained traction on TikTok, the band left the stage with a bang. 

The show was relaxing, which I find to be a rare characteristic of a rock show. Part of that ease may have been from the show appearing to be undersold and having light security. In addition, the beat of many of the songs made it perfect head-banging music, where many audience members in the crowd held a beer in one hand and were nodding along to the music the whole time. Most concert-goers seemed to have bought a ticket simply to listen to live music with friends over a drink, which made this the perfect show for. Overall, seeing Slow Joy on tour would definitely be the perfect way to end a week on a Friday night.