Games We Play in Salt Lake City

About Games We Play

Games We Play emerged from the indie electronic landscape with a sound that straddles the line between synth-pop earnestness and alternative restraint. Their self-titled track became the calling card, a song that built quietly before hitting with unexpected weight. The band trades in moments of genuine vulnerability wrapped in electronic production that never overwhelms the songwriting. Tracks like "Waiting" showcase their ability to make patience feel urgent, while "Electric" demonstrates their knack for turning simple concepts into something that lingers. They're the kind of band that rewards close listening, where the best moments often come in the spaces between the obvious hooks. Their live reputation centers on commitment to the material rather than spectacle, letting the songs do the work.

Shows are quiet and attentive. The band doesn't chase energy so much as create moments where the room goes still. Crowds lean in rather than jump around. Their restraint is the whole point.

Known for Games We Play, Waiting, Electric, Neon Nights, Lost in Translation

Games We Play + Salt Lake City

Games We Play has maintained a quiet but steady presence in Salt Lake City's indie rock circuit. Their most recent visit came in June 2025 at Kilby Court, where they ran through a setlist that balanced earnest melodicism with self-aware humor. "If I'm Honest" opened things up, setting a confessional tone that carried through to deeper cuts like "Girl Shaped Crater" and the deliberately awkward "Oh how I want you than anything else than I've wanted in my entire life (Wonderball)," which landed somewhere between parody and genuine yearning. A drum solo broke up the middle section before they closed with "I Hope You're Happy," a track that summarized their whole approach: sincere but never quite serious. Fourteen songs in, it felt like watching a band comfortable enough in their own weirdness to let it breathe.

Games We Play in Salt Lake City News

• Honey Revenge, South Arcade, Games We Play, Winona Fighter, And Chase Petra Headline “idobi Radio Summer School Tour” That Eric Alper · Feb 25, 2026
• South Arcade, Honey Revenge and more for idobi Radio Summer School Tour Kerrang! · Feb 23, 2026
• Meredith Marks Is The 'RHOLSC' Game-Player, But Not In The Way You Think Betches · Oct 1, 2025
• Games We Play is kicking off The "Hello Ladies" Tour this summer Melodic Magazine · Mar 5, 2025
• Games We Play Drops Spiteful “Petty Enemy” Ahead Of Debut Album idobi · Feb 16, 2024

Live Music in Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City's indie rock scene has quietly cultivated a taste for bands that don't fit neatly into category boxes. Venues like Kilby Court have long championed acts working in that strange middle ground between earnestness and irony, where Games We Play naturally lands. The city's audience tends to appreciate songwriting that doesn't take itself too seriously while still maintaining actual craft, which plays to the band's strengths perfectly.

Salt Lake City road trip to see Games We Play?

Stay in the Avenues neighborhood—tree-lined streets with actual character, close enough to downtown but removed from the noise. For dinner, Lazy Dog in Sugar House serves exceptional Colorado lamb and maintains a wine list that doesn't insult your intelligence. Spend an afternoon at the Natural History Museum of Utah in Red Butte Canyon; the building itself is architecturally stunning and the collection gives real context to the landscape you're actually standing in. The city's proximity to actual mountains matters when you've got downtime.