Poolhouse: And No, They’re Not The Backseat Lovers

Playing their set in the pouring rain, Poolhouse’s performance reminded me of the 2000s Disney era of Camp Rock and The Jonas Brothers. From their matching suits to the kicking of guitars, I was waiting for the Disney knees to make an appearance.

Poolhouse opened for Kilby Block Party on Sunday, May 18. The four-piece band is comprised of members Jake Bucker, Jonny Steed, Lucas Olivier and Tate Cope and are met with the fate of being a Backseat Lovers cover band for the rest of their lives. Having met each other in high school, they filled the band-sized hole in their lives and have been playing together ever since. They expressed that they were “losers with no friends–” which is a theme of their latest release “Could Be Love–” so they started making music to pass the time. Now, they’re indie rockstars in their home of Salt Lake City. Poolhouse has been releasing music since 2020, keeping up with the indie-rock scene through their pop and rock styles of lyricism and composition.

“We never use the Dmajor7 chord,” Bucker said. “We rock out. There are a lot of indie bands, but I feel like we have some good, old rock,” Olivier added.

And they certainly did rock out. Following Molotov Dress, they played through old and new songs like “Blue,” “Could Be Love” and an unreleased song “Right Back,” powering through the morning with all the boy band energy the Utah fanbase needed to start off their day. For any band, playing the coveted 12:00 pm slot is never easy, but they took it with ease. Or so it seemed.

They described their time at Kilby Block Party as competitive and humbling. “Seeing all the other artists, to me, was very humbling,” Olivier said. “I was like, ‘Wow, these people are incredible.’ And so it just made me want to go nuts.”

Leading up to Kilby Block party, Poolhouse found their sound again with their recent single releases. They described their creative process took a turn after teaming up with a producer. “We let him be more part of the creative process,” Bucker said. “And so, it was kind of not all Poolhouse … But now it’s back. I feel like, it’s got the elements from our past, but also more mature.” They expressed that they’re glad to have their sound back and are excited to release their full-length album later this summer. 

Be sure to check them out at their show coming up on June 28. Stream “Could Be Love” wherever you get your music.