After three years of playing shows around the University of Minnesota campus, the alternative rock band Squirm is releasing their EP “Sun Pillow” on April 5.
The band released two singles and an EP, their most recent single “Something” released on Feb. 1. Lead singer Will Matuseski mixed the upcoming EP.
“It is kind of more of a collection of many different iterations of Squirm,” drummer Ian Peterson said. “It’s many different iterations of what Squirm has been over its entire lifespan, and it’s coming together to form this collage of genres and music that I think has something for everybody.”
The five-man band formed nearly three years ago, when University students Matuseski and Gavin Olson started playing together after knowing each other for years. The two performed informally with a drummer they found on Craigslist before meeting Peterson a year later.
“We invited him to play, and he just stuck. I can’t imagine Squirm without him,” Matuseski said.
The three were later joined by Nick Tuel and Nick Andersen, finalizing their lineup. They began playing shows hosted by friends and at local venues in the Como neighborhood, like the former Hell on Hennepin.
“We would be the entertainment in the basement, and we would just play for like an hour,” Matuseski said. “It felt special because it wasn’t just anybody. We were playing for friends.”
The group opened for Minneapolis band porch light at a sold-out show in November at the 7th St Entry, a favorite memory for guitarist Tuel.
“Our live sound is always transforming,” Matuseski said. “We have songs that have been out for almost two years now, and we still find different ways to play them live.”
The group grew close after a camping trip near the Canadian border, where they wrote music and bonded. When they are not rehearsing music, the group plays sessions of Dungeons and Dragons hosted by Olson, their bassist.
“It’s crazy thinking about how the highlight of my time in this band isn’t actually anything to do with band things, per se,” Peterson said. “I have a lot of good memories.”
The band agreed they want to continue pursuing music together and are working towards creating and performing more music they can be proud of a decade from now.
