Savoia Rocks Bowery Electric After Release of EP “Sunflower Mouth”
PHOTO BY MARK HUNTER
There’s no guarantee your Saturday night in New York City will live up to the wild expectations you’ve had since your teenage years, but odds are usually in your favor. If you found yourself at Bowery Electric in the East Village on August 31, you might just feel like you hit the jackpot. The venue was buzzing with a lineup of bands, but my attention was fixed on headlining rock band Savoia.
Have I seen Savoia perform seven times already? Yes. Am I bored yet? Not even close. The band consists of Lucas Allan (frontman, rhythm guitar), Mercer Meeks (lead guitar), Caleb Rubin (bass guitar) and Jonathan Awad (drums) and of all the times I’ve caught them live, they’ve never put on a bad show. Whether playing to a crowd the size of a classroom or a packed house, Savoia always gives it their all. Their confidence radiates—you can tell they know they’re good.
But this set at Bowery Electric stood out. The combination of their infectious energy and the crowd’s enthusiasm made it feel like we were part of something memorable, maybe even historic. The room was filled with people rocking out, and not just for the band but also for the widely-known party photographer Mark Hunter, aka Cobrasnake, who was capturing the moment.
PHOTO BY MARK HUNTER
At this point, I’m familiar with most of the songs in Savoia’s setlist. But with the recent release of their EP Sunflower Mouth, there was a fresh sense of excitement. It was different to hear the songs live and know that I could go back and listen to them afterward. It was also cool to see others in the crowd singing along, experiencing that same thrill of discovering new favorites in real time.
Sunflower Mouth is a tight four-track EP, but it’s clear a lot of thought went into it. I got a chance to chat with frontman and rhythm guitarist Lucas Allan, who gave us some insight. “It’s meant to be short and sweet but still give you a full taste of who we are. It’s a breakup record, but we wanted to keep it upbeat and make sure the songs were danceable. We wanted to give people something to connect to lyrically, while also giving them something to move to,” Allan told Pleaser.
“It took us a little bit of time to narrow it down to the four tracks we selected. We’ve been wanting to put out new music for a while and make it our first body of work and we have a lot of songs written from the years of being a band we’ve never put out. We eventually ended up going towards a concept style record and writing some new stuff to go with that. We decided on those four because we felt they told a proper story.”
That balance between relatable lyrics and danceable beats is exactly what makes Sunflower Mouth stand out. Even without knowing the lyrics inside and out, the energy of the songs is undeniable. The blend of gritty guitar riffs and punchy drum beats gives the tracks an edge, while Allan's raspy vocals and dynamic stage presence pulls you in. You can feel the emotion behind each song, even if you don’t catch every word.
And with the decision to make the EP more conceptual, it shows the band’s artistry. The intentionality behind it makes it all the more engaging – which prompted me to ask Allan about the meaning behind the title Sunflower Mouth. He explained, “Someone with a ‘sunflower mouth’ is someone who makes false promises. What they say sounds sweet and charming, but it's deceptive.”
He continued, “We had a few different ideas for the title. At one point, we were settled on ‘Caught Up’—it fit the vibe and came from a lyric in one of the songs. But to me, it felt a little boring. I had the phrase ‘sunflower mouth’ saved in my notes and liked how it sounded, so I worked it into the lyrics and we made it the title. It felt more striking and electric."
Allan also shared how the artwork came together: “Originally, we had a photo of us on a fire escape, but it didn’t fit the new title. I wanted something more symbolic—like a girl with a sunflower for a mouth. I reached out to my photographer friend Matt Weinberger, and he ended up shooting the perfect image with a model named Carly Dagen. It all came together unexpectedly, but it worked out in the end.”
Sunflower Mouth is a solid step forward for Savoia, showing their ability to merge energetic live performances with thoughtful songwriting. The EP strikes a balance between emotional storytelling and upbeat, danceable tracks, giving listeners a clear sense of who they are as a band. As they continue to play shows and develop their sound, I am beyond excited to see where they go next.
Whether you’ve caught them live or are hearing their recorded music for the first time, Savoia has a way of leaving an impression. They’re definitely a band to keep an eye on in New York’s evolving rock scene.
