Cambridge experienced a musical heat wave Oct. 23 as Southern California surf rock band Sun Room brought the sounds of the West Coast to a cold Boston night. The group delivered an electric setlist at The Sinclair in the middle of its North American tour. 

Opening for Sun Room was West 22nd, an Austin-based indie rock band touring for its debut album “Nowhere To Be.” From the moment the band stepped out on stage, the mood was set for the night, and fans could not have been more elated. The hour-long set perfectly showcased its discography while still getting fans excited for Sun Room. 

Walking on stage, the boys of West 22nd looked like five iterations of Dylan Minnette circa 2019, and the band brought its signature indie rock sound. The setlist of songs off  “Nowhere To Be” certainly made fans glad they’d found somewhere to be.

In an interview with The Huntington News, the band described its tour in three words: “Fun, fun, fun,” said lead singer Logan Madsen. 

“Grateful, fun and exciting,” said Jeremy Ancheta, West 22nd’s lead guitarist. The band’s overarching description of touring with Sun Room and on its own was “fun,” and its show clearly did that justice. Both the band and the fans looked to be having a blast through its entire setlist, and West 22nd left Boston with a crowd full of new fans. 

To conclude the set, Madsen climbed off the stage, joining fans on the floor to sing along to “Easy Love,” while his bandmates danced around to the crowd’s cheers. The fans’ energy was still so palpable after they exited the stage that it seemed they might have coaxed the band back out for an encore of its own. 

Between artists, the crowd was teeming with anticipation. “I’ve seen Sun Room four times,” said Frankie Licata, a second-year student at Regis College. “It’s really cool to watch the development of a band going from their first gig to now. Especially selling out their own shows and being at bigger venues.”

Sun Room finally took the stage to roaring cheers, heading right into “Just Yesterday,” a catchy surf rock tune that quickly made the venue feel like a West Coast surf shop. There was no introduction, just blaring red lights, guitars and an indescribable energy in the crowd. 

“We’re Sun Room — we’re gonna play some rock songs for you!” lead singer Luke Asgian yelled before the band dove into the rest of the setlist. 

“Can’t Explain” and “Hate It When You Call” were among the songs the group performed next, amplifying the mood even further. The lights, guitars, crowd and production from Asgian and the band brought a stadium-level verve to a standing-room venue. 

As the band transitioned to “Crashed My Bike,” Asgian said the fans close to the stage looked like they wanted to mosh. And he was correct. The pit opened, and people started grabbing onto each other. Friends, strangers and fans were all connected for a few minutes through the soundtrack of Sun Room’s discography. 

A bit later on in the gig, Asgian grabbed the mic to announce, “This song is called ‘Don’t Cause a Riot.’ Feel free to cause a riot.” The crowd took those instructions to heart, keeping the mood high and the atmosphere loud. 

The tracks that followed, “Outta Their Minds,” “Sol Del Sur” and “She’ll Move to London,” were all consistent with the band’s kinetic surf rock sound. The band then moved on to a cover of Mazzy Star’s “Fade Into You,” a slow, melodic ballad that they turned into an amped up rock tune. 

Throughout the night, the connection between the artists and the crowd was undeniable. It felt less like a performance and more like a meeting between longtime friends, with Asgian and the band making everyone feel as if they were sitting together on the California coast. 

To end the gig, Sun Room brought it home with “Fun” and “Oslo, Paris, LA,” two of its most vibrant, and as the name of the former suggests, fun tracks. As the band played out the last two songs, the mosh pit was resurrected, somehow even bigger than the first time. It was apparent that even after the group had left the stage, Sun Room’s stop in Boston was a can’t-miss show. 

Heading into another cold New England winter, Sun Room and West 22nd gave Harvard Square a last taste of summer and a night fans won’t forget.