See Plus rocks Ramapo with stellar setlist and raw energy

Photo courtesy of Gisselle Carino-Bazan.

Perhaps creating the most active audience of all the 2021-22 Tuesday Night Lives (TNL), See Plus conquered the stage in Friends Hall like they own the place, and they sort of do. March 22’s TNL, hosted by Ramapo Music Club (RMC) and the College Programming Board, featured local Jersey band See Plus, marking it as their third time performing at Ramapo. While most of the band members were still only in high school, the group was invited to perform in 2018 and 2019 at other RMC sponsored events. 

Now, See Plus is much more assertive in their stage presence and identity as a band. While three out of the four young talented musicians are still early college students, they find ways to continue growing as a band and expanding their musical horizons. 

From the moment their set began, the band had the audience in the palm of their hands. Frontman and Ramapo sophomore Miles Dellaha joked that the music doesn’t reach the back of the room, so everyone had to move forward and fill the space directly in front of the stage. And surely, the crowd obeyed his playful demands. 

As the band smoothly moved through their set, which included seamless transitions between each song, it became clear that See Plus has a unique sound, and it truly is hard to label them and place their music into just one category. 

“We used to say alt rock,” Dellaha said, but they have since began describing themselves as a “noisy indie pop band.” The sounds and musicality are fluid and range across these indier genres, and they are incredibly experimental in their nature.

Their hour-long set was upbeat and entertaining the entire time. Audience members were dancing, nodding, cheering and even throwing up finger hearts at the band. See Plus is completely deserving of its praise, as their performance quality was impressive to say the least. They perform as if they’ve been doing this professionally their entire lives, which they almost have been, as the four-piece formed back in high school. 

The band admits that their music has matured over the past few years, and that the new album they are working on really resembles how they are all growing up. 

“It’s definitely maturing,” said bassist Jake Linsalata. It is almost as if their music is coming of age, which truly is exactly what listening to their work feels like. When I first heard their music, I couldn't help but imagine it as the background track in a beloved coming-of-age film. Whether it is their upbeat music, like their 2018 song “Chemical Burns” or their most recent slower, enriched vibey single “The Sun,” their entire discography sounds like an upcoming filmmaker's dream. 

See Plus did have a minor setback during their performance, as Dellaha faced technical difficulty with his electric guitar. His bandmates, however, did not let this slow them down. The three other members worked together to master the art of “the show must go on.” They continued to play a repetitive beat within the song, and by the time the issue was resolved, they continued on like nothing inconvenient had ever happened. 

The audience was sure to give an extra loud cheer as the stylish and eclectic band ended their set, and their warmth was well-appreciated from the humble band members. 

It will be no surprise when See Plus moves their way closer and closer to the forefront of the popular music scene. The band has a high future in store, and it is just a short matter of time until everyone is singing along to the clever and catchy lyrics of everyone’s next favorite band. 

If you missed See Plus’ Tuesday night performance, you’re in luck. You can catch them again in Friends Hall on April 16 at 8pm for a student-developed concert series hosted by senior Giselle Carino-Bazan. And if you can’t wait until then, you can listen to See Plus’ entire discography on iTunes, Spotify, SoundCloud and YouTube, and can find their merch or more information on their website

Check them out while they are still up and coming, because a future of larger success and attention for See Plus is right around the corner.

 

emelvin@ramapo.edu