Mt. Joy @ SLC Twilight 08.12.2025

I was shocked at just how psychedelic and large the songs became; the set almost had its own gravitational pull. Photo: Nathan Gentry

Image: Nathan Gentry

Concert

Through the adversity of city-wide concern after the fires ripped through downtown, Salt Lake showed up for a night of great music at the Twilight Concert Series for Mt. Joy and local group The Moss. With a wide variety of pop rock, The Moss absolutely crushed their set of both old and new tracks. With a frontman who looks straight out of Escape From New York, the backbeat indie-rock group made many new fans that night. Arriving at their first batch of new songs in the night, the group leaned even more into their ‘80s aesthetic, with dark synth-pop and heavy bass which reminded me of Duran Duran. Other comparisons I would make to their unique sound would be Tom Petty meets The Backseat Lovers, or if The Police formed during COVID-19.

In between our two musical acts, Mark Evans Nature Facts provided some free public education about our environment in a great comedy act. The short, less than 10-minute performance was a fun palate cleanser.

Mt. Joy was the type of indie rock that is the very lifeblood of Utah music culture. Blending psychedelia and fantastic organ playing, it felt like a supergroup consisting of Peach Pit and Ray Manzarek of The Doors. With massive, sweeping instrumental bridges that lasted minutes, the set was absolutely amazing. The sultry track “In The Middle” felt like a Bond theme — it reminded me personally of John Lennon‘s “I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier Mama.”

The highlight of the set really was the absolutely stunning classical piano transitions from keyboard player Jackie Miclau. Uniquely, the group split their set in half with a short intermission between. Once they returned, the set peaked with a second wind, starting with an extremely heavy and hard reintroduction before returning to their usual indie domain. I was shocked at just how psychedelic and large the songs became; the set almost had its own gravitational pull. Between the two (and a half) fantastic sets, Salt Lake City was able to forget its troubles, if just for one night.