ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR – JORGE GUERRERO
ORIGINALLY PUBLIEDH ON OCT 25 2023
Deep in the heart of North Saint Mary’s Street, surrounded by the prominent clubs of the San Antonio nightlife scene, Paper Tiger eagerly awaited the night to roar with the sounds of High Sunn and local supporting acts Inoha and Jakob Lui. Both the main and side rooms of the venue were crowded, with an air of anticipation for the night’s main act. Hailing from the San Francisco Bay Area, 23-year-old Justin Cheromiah, High Sunn, and his band arrived in San Antonio for their first U.S. national tour, supporting the project’s summer release “Fabric,” a 6 song EP. Counting 11 dates starting in Brooklyn, New York, and finishing at the infamous Moroccan Lounge in Los Angeles, California, Cheromiah has anticipated performing outside of California since 2015.
Beginning his project at 14 in his bedroom, Cheromiah combined influential sounds from the past, such as those of the New Order and The Jesus and Mary Chain, with contemporary sounds like Beach Fossils and Japandroids, to create a unique genre of music he calls “Dreamo Pop.” The genre is a combination of scratchy guitar riffs and heavy drums, paired with dream-like chords and catchy vocals all enveloped with classic California sleaze. In 2017, his EP, “Hopeless Romantic,” gained millions of streams, thanks to his popular teenage love ballads, “Holding Hands,” and “Ramen Waitress.” T his release was met with praise from publications like Stereogum, Consequence of Sound and BrooklynVegan. Now age 23, with over 245.3 thousand listeners globally, Chermoiah told The Rattler before the concert, “This is my most proudest work to date,” referring to his newest EP.
Due to last-minute emergencies, High Sunn’s opening bands were unable to attend and had to be replaced with local acts– Inoha and Jakob Lui. San Antonio band Inoha broke the ice with their driven, highpaced alternative rock as they performed on their home stage for the first time. Before the main act, Jakob Lui relaxed the anxious crows with his smooth, melancholic music, showering the crowd with his wavy Shoegaze-like chords and laid-back vocals.
Powering into the main event, Cheromiah and his Bay Area counterparts made their way to the stage where dozens of people huddled around in anticipation. breaking the silence, High Sunn set the night off with their surf rock hit “Those Last Words” from their 2018 album “Missed Connections.” This sent the crowd into a daze. The lo-fi sound took control, and concertgoers bumped their heads up and down along with the high-valence drums as Cheromiah and his shaggy-haired entourage enlightened the audience. Pulling from their extensive discography, High Sunn enthusiastically performed fan-favorite tracks “Tears” and “Joy of Romance,” as well as recent hits from their latest EP like “You = Youth,” and title track “Fabric,” which takes a more mature and developed direction while still maintaining their classic lo-fi sound. The crowd shook the ground throughout the night and was still eager to hear the two songs they had been waiting for all night, cheering and chanting for the band to meet their request. The band happily obliged as Cheromiah whispered into the microphone, “You think we would leave without playing your favorites? We love you, San Antonio, we would never do that.” As the opening arpeggios of “Holding Hands” echoed through the room, the audience cheered and set forth a wave-like movement through the crowd sending everyone from the left to the right as shoulders bumped and people sang along.
Finally, Cheromiah and his band thanked attendees for coming out and dancing along before performing the song that took the indie world by storm in 2017, “Ramen Waitress.” With the immediately recognizable high – driven guitar tone the opening riff put the room into a frenzy, and the crowd jumped around with excitement. A delightfully simple track about Cheromiah’s intense infatuation with a waitress serving him ramen, this song perfectly encapsulates the California band’s defining sound with its prominent surf and garage rock elements paired with his roaring, youthful voice behind dreamy lo-fi chords.
Bowing before the crowd and blowing kisses to their fans, the Bay Area outfit filled the tiny room of the Paper Tiger with their upbeat and blissful California sound. Exiting the venue after jumping all night, freshman engineering student Eve Huerta commented: “This type of music isn’t common around here. This night made me feel like I was in a California town with waves whooshing not far away.” High Sunn wrapped up their nationwide tour on October 15th with their newest release “Fabric” available on all music streaming sites. Follow them on Instagram @highsunnband to catch their next show in San Antonio.