Evolfo: Into the Zone with Brooklyn’s 7-Piece Hive Mind

There is a specific, electric tension that occurs when a seven-piece band crams onto the stage at Soda Bar. It’s a room built for intimacy, where the barrier between the performer and the crowd dissolves into a shared “magic sauce.” On April 28th, Brooklyn’s Evolfo brings their psych-drenched, genre-defying sound to our favorite venue in San Diego, arriving just days after the release of their new EP, Of Love (dropping April 24th). Moving beyond their “Acid Cowboy” era, the collective has embraced a new, improvisational DNA—one that feels less like a rehearsed set and more like a guided expedition into deep space. We caught up with frontman Matt Gibbs to discuss alien lonely hearts, the cosmic weight of a human soul, and the life-saving power of San Diego curry.

ListenSD: Your name is “Of Love” spelled backward, and your new EP Of Love drops April 24th—right before you hit San Diego. After years of being the “Acid Cowboys,” how does it feel to bring the journey full circle back to that original name? What should people know about the “Evolfo” sound in 2026?

Matt Gibbs: “Full circle” is a great way of putting it because the band name -> title is reversible. It just goes back and forth, round and round, like a record : ) The choice to call the record Of Love was very intentional. You can think of this as our self-titled record. It’s almost like a new debut for us; we feel we’ve really stepped into the name Evolfo as it represents what our 7-piece hive mind can create.

The last few records were made in what you could say is a more traditional way, in that songs were composed by one or two of us and then taught to and rehearsed by the group. These songs really started with full-group improvisations. And from those very free jams, devoid of genre markers and self-conscious constraints, we extrapolated songs and more focused moments. This album has a new DNA, a new thumbprint that is unique to the collective expressing itself.

LSD: The video for “Restless Seed” is an incredible alien abduction piece. What inspires you to lean into these trippy, sci-fi visuals? Is there a specific film or late-night rabbit hole that birthed the idea of an extraterrestrial dance floor? (I would like to add that I totally fell in love with this video, loved every second of it.)

Matt Gibbs: There was no specific film that inspired this; the fun was in creating our own little science fiction story and genuinely trying to bring it to life. Though I will add that in the opening scenes, we talked a lot about Mars Attacks, Blade Runner, and Space is the Place. I think what inspired us to put the song in this place was the dark, spacey, gothic feeling of the underlying track.

The beat is fun, but there’s a deep-space-esque cold wave, ominous feeling as well, hidden in the searing guitars and icy pulse of the synth. One thing I love about the video is I feel the alien—our restless seed—sincerely captured the essence we intended in the message of “Restless Seed.” I feel his loneliness and his wanderlust. Shoutout to Russell Norris, who brought the alien to life. The song, in its most direct sense, observes the way human bodies and souls are used like seeds to sow fields of profit for vampiric rulers. But there is a more cosmic question hidden here: how do people create meaning in their lives within the unfathomably grand scope of time? A “Restless Seed” could describe a human soul lodged within that infinite landscape; a seed is seemingly small, but it is definitely there, planted in the earth and growing.

LSD: You’ve described your music as “mind manifesting”—an exploration of sonic limits. For someone walking into Soda Bar on April 28th who has never heard you, what do you hope they feel upon listening to you for the first time?

Matt Gibbs: I hope that when the lights come down and the band strikes up, people will feel like they are embarking on a trip. I think the first few notes should feel like “lift off” and shortly after that, “engage!” Really, I want people to feel like they are being transported, like we’re your seven pilots and we will expertly convey you to and from “The Zone.” I hope that people will leave feeling lighter and leave with their hearts burning to make some music of their own.

San Diego has a massive psych-rock heartbeat, and for this show, you’re playing with local ListenSD faves Chorduroy and Wicked Lips, with visuals provided by our good friend Gonzo Liquid Show. Are there other West Coast bands you guys are currently spinning in the tour van or would love to share a bill with?

Matt Gibbs: So pumped on this bill with Chorduroy and Wicked Lips! I feel very fortunate that these folks are sharing their hometown stage with us. I have a long, long list of West Coast bands I love. I mean, we grew up on Ty Segall, White Fence, and Osees, so sharing a bill with them would be a dream. But there’s plenty of more underground or rising bands we listen to from the West Coast that we’d love to play with: Levitation Room, Primitive Ring, Venus Hides, Agua, Olüm, Secret Family…

LSD: At ListenSD, we’ve seen bands like King Gizzard play Soda Bar right before they exploded into a global cult phenomenon. There is a specific, intense magic when a 7-piece band brings that much sound into such an intimate room. What goes through your head when you are playing and creating this magic?

Matt Gibbs: I love playing a small room so much. That closeness with my bandmates and the crowd makes things so much more intimate. There’s got to be some kind of special energy exchange going on when you’re mere feet from someone. There’s also some great acoustic sound absorption going on with a small, packed room. You gotta believe in that magic sauce. Mostly I try not to let anything go through my head at all and be fully absorbed in performing—though sometimes I’m working to remind myself not to do many stage acrobatics that could endanger my bandmates in such close quarters.

LSD: Lastly, any favorite San Diego foods you’re looking forward to?

Matt Gibbs: Last time we were in San Diego, we got our minds blown by tacos in Old Town during the Low Rider parade. I also once had my life saved by some curry I got near The Merrow. I wish I could remember the name of the restaurant! But it cured me of a really bad cold in 2018.

Do not miss Evolfo with Chorduroy and Wicked Lips on April 28th at Soda Bar. Tickets can be purchased HERE

Interview by Narda Crossley