By Lonny Huff / Staff Writer
By Lonny Huff / Staff Writer
In order to fully understand the Summer Twins and who they are, you have to look past the stage and the recordings.
If you ask Chelsea and Justine Brown, the founders of the band, what their childhood was like, they’ll tell you about being kids, running around barefoot at bluegrass festivals, or hiding in the racks at the vintage clothing store that their parents own.
They’ll tell you about borrowing old records from their father’s record collection and their love of felines.
They have been writing music together since middle school and still rehearse in the same small concrete basement that they’ve been playing music in since they were young.
Together, they write a blend of dream pop and garage rock, arranged delicately over strong, repeating vocal harmonies.
Chelsea’s lyrics tell simple stories of dreaming, honest self-doubt, and the difficulty of understanding the people who are close to you.
Looking at their videos and photos, the brand characteristics of this band can only be described as unbearably cute.
Their photographs show the girls tossing around a giant stuffed raccoon in a desolate field and staging a birthday party in the middle of nowhere.
Watching their videos, you can see them in a garden joined by a backing band of costumed bunny rabbits, dressing up kittens, choreographing awkward dance routines, and getting into other kinds of adorable trouble.
During their live performances, the girls are joined by Marcio Rivera on guitar and Angelo Anderson on bass. These performances make it obvious how graceful these four work together to create a live sound.
It’s the kind of show that makes the music look simple, but if you pay close attention, you’ll notice a calm focus over all of them, which is the result of hours upon hours of practice and dedication.
When they’re not making music, they’re viciously tearing through thrift stores, hand-making birthday cards for friends, or re-decorating their rooms.
Walking into their home, there is more evidence of their personalities as you notice the antique furniture, the paint-by-numbers “last supper” painting hanging directly over the fireplace, and the massive amount of knick-knacks crammed into every corner.
Chelsea’s main source of inspiration is her cat, Tubby, who walks by occasionally, looking for attention. There are musical instruments everywhere, like the old piano that the girls have been playing for most of their life, sitting in the corner in the living room.
Chelsea and Justine grew up in Riverside and spent a lot of time in the music scene in downtown Riverside when they were young, but recently started spending more time playing music farther away in Los Angeles and Orange County.
This year, the Summer Twins self-released their first EP, “The Good Things,” and are currently working on a release with Burger Records from Orange County, a label that focuses on vinyl and tape releases.
They will be performing at .EDU fest, a music and arts festival, which takes place at the Riverside City College on Oct. 15.
You can download their album for free at summertwins.bandcamp.com.
