On Tuesday, July 16, indie rock band Winnetka Bowling League played their first-ever show in Atlanta at The Masquerade’s Altar. The headlining tour follows the release of the band’s first full-length album, “Sha La La,” on May 31.
The band was formed a little over five years ago, and they began by putting out several EPs, including “Winnetka Bowling League,” “Cloudy With A Chance Of Sun” and “Congratulations,” before having to pause their work due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In an interview with the Technique, frontman Matthew Koma talked about the band’s formation, saying, “We’ve all been in different bands and have done music our whole lives and in different forms and different ways. So this was sort of a practice in [saying], ‘Let’s be a little selfish and make stuff that we really like.’ And at first, it started [by] putting EPs out because it felt a little bit less committal. [It was a chance to] figure out what [we] want[ed] it to be, without taking as much of a statement as [we] would with putting out an album.”
He later stated that post-lockdown, as the world began to open again, the group felt that putting out a full album was a way for the band to have a “fresh start” and to begin a “new chapter.”
“Sha La La” is a ten-track album that has just the right sound for long road trips through the countryside.
When talking about writing the album, Koma said, “I don’t think [there] was necessarily a purposeful direction, but it ended up being very much a retrospective look at growing up and [feeling] like you’re not able to really fairly judge something until you’re through it. So, just looking back at the mid to late ‘20s or ‘30s, and what that all felt like. I think it ended up feeling somewhat nostalgic for us and for a lot of people who listen to it.”
The same subtle feelings of nostalgia were present onstage at the band’s show. Their “set” featured a small stack of several types of old televisions, a quarter candy machine filled with Mike & Ikes, multi-colored gumballs and jellybeans and string lights wrapped around the keyboard.
Several weeks after the release of “Sha La La,” Winnetka Bowling League released their single “This is Life” with fellow musicians Medium Build and Dawes.
Such a quick turnaround time is unusual for most bands, which Koma acknowledged during his interview with the Technique. He said that when it comes to writing music, he “never really stops…that’s the part of [music] that keeps me sane and not attached, which is probably even part of the reason [for] putting out an album and then a song a couple of weeks later. It’s just nice to have that freedom to just put stuff out [whenever we want].”
The band played “This is Life” at their show, joined onstage by one of the openers, singer-songwriter Darryl Rahn.
Koma also shared that he has a lot of fun playing shows on tour and getting to perform for more fans who know their songs, something that can undoubtedly be seen in his live performance. There was an overarching, wholesome feeling throughout Winnetka Bowling League’s set, with fans singing along and dancing with each other. It was clear that the audience was there not just to see a band that they loved but also simply to have fun with each other. If someone were to think of the perfect summer experience, this show was it.