There have been at least two artists / groups that use this name.

1)… Read Full Bio ↴There have been at least two artists / groups that use this name.

1) A band from Austin, Texas, USA.
2) The band fronted by Emi Night from Colorado, USA.

1) Based in Austin, TX, Summer Salt blends vibrant yet breezy vocal harmony and colorful elements of 1960s pop, Bossa Nova and jazz.

The group was originally formed around the talents of Matthew Terry (vocalist/guitarist) and Eugene Chung (drummer) during their senior year of high school.

In 2012 the band fledged away from their hometown to pursue music in Austin TX, where they began writing their first EP Driving to Hawaii.

Driving to Hawaii (2014), contains the essence of a never-ending vacation and is rich in guitar pop and silky harmonies that is reminiscent of the Beach Boys. The EP features fan favorites such as “Sweet to Me”, “Rockaway”, and of course their title track, “Driving to Hawaii”, which has iconically represented the basis of all Summer Salt lyrics: trying to slow down and enjoy the ride of chasing what appears to be an unattainable pipe dream.

Their next release, Going Native (2015), was inspired by a trip abroad where Terry began diving into artists such as Joao Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim, and Gilberto Gil which lead to a new writing direction using Latin elements.

Succeeding the energetic and live sounds of Going Native, So Polite (2017), was the perfect appetizer for the band's debut full-length album, the wildly colorful, Happy Camper (2018) which features a more polished production quality from Sub-Pop stalwart Phil Ek (Fleet Foxes, The Shins). The duo then released Honeyweed (2019) which fused indie pop with components of Brazilian tropicalia and 60’s folk drawing inspiration from seasoned topics of loss and renewal.

Summer Salt’s latest offering is the four track EP entitled Avenue G. With songs dedicated to the heart of Austin Texas to where the duo started, Avenue G is a revival EP featuring tracks written when the band was younger. The duo revisited these songs and brought them back to life with a fresh twist. The infectious single “Little Legs” is Summer Salt’s first pure pop tune. Detailing how strength is more than a physical trait and more importantly emotional and mental, Summer Salt urges fans to embrace themselves and find some sort of peace in true acceptance.

The melodic ensemble has cultivated a loyal following with their endless summer, ocean dream music that can be heard in influences such as the Lovin' Spoonful, Donovan, Frankie Valli, the lovely Lady Day or other musical genres of 1960s Rocksteady or African Highlife.

2) Summer Salt was the band fronted by Emi Night from Colorado, USA, before she relocated to Philadelphia and the band became Strawberry Runners . One album, The Places You Call Home, was released under this name.

So Polite
Summer Salt Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Inside
I must be kind
Ain't that the way we ought to be
So polite
But these planes
Outside the lake
Hittin' jet speed
And they just keep rockin' my boat

And I try
So hard to sway
Seeing double anyway
That I can breathe
Guess a swim'll be nice
Trying so hard to find
What's wrong
When everything is alright
Feeling so scared

I'll lose the game
When i've a hundred lives

Overall Meaning

Summer Salt's song "So Polite" is a song that tackles the themes of inner struggles and the external pressures of life. The opening stanza establishes an internal conflict where the singer talks about being kind, which is a desirable trait, but acknowledges that it is not always easy to be so polite. The singer talks about the outside world where planes are flying at a high speed and metaphorically "rockin' my boat," which suggests that they are causing disruption in the singer's life. The singer discusses trying so hard to sway or resist these external pressures, but their efforts seem futile, and they are struggling to stay afloat.

The second stanza delves deeper into the singer's internal struggles, where they talk about feeling scared of losing the game, even though they have a hundred lives. This line suggests that the singer understands that they have many opportunities to succeed, but they are still afraid of failing. The singer mentions that they are trying so hard to find what's wrong when everything is alright, which suggests that they have an anxious mind that fixates on negative things.

Overall, "So Polite" is a relatable song that speaks about the internal struggles that people face while trying to navigate the external pressures of life.

Line by Line Meaning

Inside
Internally

I must be kind
I should show kindness

Ain't that the way we ought to be
Isn't that how we should behave

So polite
Extremely courteous

But these planes
However, these aircraft

Outside the lake
Over the lake

Hittin' jet speed
Reaching extreme velocities

And they just keep rockin' my boat
And they keep shaking my stability

And I try
Despite my efforts,

So hard to sway
It's incredibly difficult for me to find balance

Seeing double anyway
Even though I'm seeing the two sides of things