Arriving right as the doors opened, I ventured into Space Ballroom and was greeted with the familiar staff, calming pre-show playlist, and welcoming faces of others mingling in the crowd. 

“Chill” is the best way to describe the crowd at Lunar Vacation tonight. Listeners formed a semi-circle around the stage as the opener Tasha played, as if too nervous to disturb her personal space with the lack of a photo pit in the small venue.

Chicago-born artist Tasha spent most of her set beaming on stage. She transcends beyond the average singer, with a role on Broadway in “Illinoise,” which adapts Sufjan Stevens’ album, “Illinois,” for the stage. Tasha opened up the show with her 3-piece band, singing melodic songs from her latest albums, “All This and So Much More” and “Tell Me What You Miss The Most.”

Tasha wished the crowd a happy Valentine’s Day but apologized for singing mostly sad songs or breakup anthems. As a token of her appreciation for “the cutest crowd yet,” she encouraged everyone to purchase her merch as she would include a personalized note to one’s “sweetie” in honor of the holiday. 

Tasha welcomed the lead singer of Lunar Vacation, Grace Repasky, dawning her oversized chunky glasses to sing an unreleased song together. Their voices blended together in a magical combination, serenading the swaying crowd.

During Tasha’s last song, she noticed the disco ball in the ceiling of the venue and got the crowd to chant at the staff to turn it on. The shining tiles reflected across the beaming faces of Tasha and her band, closing out her set beautifully.

Lunar Vacation began in Atlanta, Georgia, and consists of Grace Repasky, on vocals and guitar, Maggie Geeslin on guitar, Matteo DeLurgio on keyboard and various percussion, Connor Dowd on drums, and Ben Wulkan on bass.

The band formed in 2016, starting with Repasky and Geeslin being encouraged by a high school teacher. They started out as a live band and have said that getting to play for crowds is still their favorite part about making music. Their debut album was produced by Danie Gleason of the band Grouplove.

Lunar Vacation graced the stage shortly after Tasha, with Repasky bringing her hot tea along with her to center stage. They opened their set with “Set the Stage,” the most fitting song to introduce their music to the crowd.

Their setlist consisted of songs from their newest album, “Everything Matters, Everything’s Fire,” as well as tracks from “Inside Every Fig is a Dead Wasp” and their early EP’s. The band got the crowd amped up to move and groove with tracks like “Cutting Corners” and “The Basement.”

Drummer Connor Dowd brought a maraca onto the docket for “Mold” and Matteo DeLurgio rotated between keys and various percussion shaker instruments. The band closed out their show with the hypnotic track “Fantasy.”

Repasky thanked the crowd for “spending Valentine’s Day with us old farts.” As far as romantic shows go, Lunar Vacation’s sweet melodies were a fitting occasion for the holiday.