Friday, September 27th, Horse Jumper of Love was headlining Soda Bar with openers Teethe and Sour Widows. Soda Bar is a 21+ venue on El Cajon Boulevard. You’ve probably seen it on your commute around San Diego, it’s the building with a patchwork mural of smiley faces on its side and its vintage soda bottle logo. Soda Bar is the type of venue where you can buy earplugs at the bar because the music can be so strong you can taste it. There’s a blue light that lingers throughout the bar and a disco ball that leaves little blots of light on your shoes. It’s the ideal spot to listen to noisy, fuzzy, dreamy guitars.

The first opener was Sour Widows. Sour Widows are from Oakland and have that Bay Area swagger. This is their second time in San Diego, their first time was earlier this year in June when they toured with Teethe. At the beginning of their set, people were still grabbing their drinks from the bar and finding a spot in the crowd. But there’s something hypnotic about the melodies Sour Widows create. They have this way of making their guitar sing and snarl which creates this grungey melodic symbiosis. Their voices are sweet and harmonious which contrasts with the noisier parts of their set in a gratifying way. Sour Widows are also the kind of band to banter with the crowd while they tune their guitars mid-set. They can ease a crowd and make them laugh. It creates a cute camaraderie between artist and audience. The majority of the set was from their 2024 album, Revival of a Friend. By the time they started playing their song Big Dogs, the crowd had increased in size and was fully transfixed. Being an opening act can be difficult but Sour Widows made it look easy. Keep an eye out for Sour Widows, they might be coming back to San Diego next spring.

Teethe was set to play next. They’re a group from Texas and have played San Diego a few times before. They are a band I often point to when talking about the revitalization of 90’s slowcore. Except I don’t want to pigeonhole Teethe as just a slowcore band. Teethe incorporates a sweet twang in the midst of their fuzzy rumbling guitars distinguishing their sound from other slowcore artists. I always enjoy a live Teethe set because of the liberties they take with drawing out and distorting their guitars. They played songs from their self-titled album, which I would highly recommend. It’s one of those seamless albums you can listen to from top to bottom. Upside Down, a fan favorite, is a song that makes the entire crowd sway and nod their heads. It also made the couple in front of me make out throughout the entire song. But I think that demonstrates the kind of energy Teethe cultivates. Teethe is a band that plays for the romantics, hopeless and hopeful, appealing to both from their emotive guitars and haunting riffs.

Horse Jumper of Love closed out the night as headliners. Hailing from Boston, the band weaves together sludgy, fuzzy guitars with themes of heartbreak, creating an immersive dreamy moody ambiance. They opened their set with Snow Angel from their new album, Disaster Trick. Snow Angel has that iconic Horse Jumper of Love sound with tense guitars, pulsating drums, and heavy-hitting lyrics. They then played Today’s Iconoclast, also from their newest album. But Horse Jumper of Love didn’t forget about their 2017 self-titled album. They played some fan favorites like Bagel Breath and Orange Peeler making the crowd nostalgic and moody. The set continued and you could sense the excitement when Ugly Brunette’s first chords began to play. There’s something about hearing Ugly Brunette live that feels surreal. Hearing it live, you can feel the guitar twirl and the cymbals crash in the pit of your stomach. Horse Jumper closed with Lip Reader, also from their new album. Horse Jumper of Love has a way of making you feel like you stumbled upon an old love letter from an ex while looking for a sweater, bittersweet and grateful. By the end of their set, after memorable opening acts, Horse Jumper of Love left the crowd enchanted and melancholic in the best way.