Salt Lake locals and University of Utah students, Hurtado is made up of a vegan security guard, a civil engineer and glasses-wearing, self-proclaimed dorks.
After spending time in Las Vegas for Best Friends Forever Fest with their lead singer, Sam Hurtado, I had to catch their set at Kilby Block Party. And it was not a disappointment. This was their first time opening for the festival and it was an instant energizer. I was standing next to a fan at the barricade in a hazmat suit–the band has a song called “Hazmat” from 2022–and the crowd, including him, went hard from the very beginning.
The band is comprised of members Sam Hurtado, Will Washburn, Simon Griffen and Rhett Murdock. Walking around the festival, someone said they looked like Weezer, and it kind of makes sense.
“I think all of our pictures kind of just look like that,” Hurtado said. “We’re kind of all dorky-looking white dudes.”
Hurtado takes inspiration from the early 2000s indie age, along with the 80s and 90s janglepop and pop punk sound. Their live performance gave a certain Midwest emo vibe that felt similar to Modern Baseball and Jank. It was fast, and the fans were all in time with each other, jumping in the trickling rain. Those 30 minutes felt euphoric and nostalgic to my middle school years, I couldn’t get enough of it.
They played through songs “Energizer Bunny,” “Hazmat,” and a few new ones like “Teeth” and “Foam Finger” from their recently released EP “Cavalier.”
“It feels good to be out for sure,” they explained. The EP was released on April 30, following a music video for “Teeth.” “It’s been a long time coming. We’ve had a lot of these songs for over a year.”
Kilby Block Party was one of the first times they’ve played through the new songs, which is the perfect opportunity to get a sense of the crowd before they head on their Northwestern tour. Hurtado will be hitting Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and ending the tour in Utah on June 6.
Be sure to check them out on tour and listen to “Cavalier” wherever you get your music.