Heart-on-Sleeve Pop with vaultboy
vaultboy writes tight, heart-on-sleeve pop from Jacksonville, Florida, shaped by acoustic guitar and sticky hooks. He broke out on TikTok in 2021 with everything sucks, and he has since leaned into honest lines and bright, bedroom-pop tones.
From Bedroom Posts to Bright Stages
Expect a set that flips between bouncy and tender, likely peaking with everything sucks, this is what i get, and punching bag.Songs You Will Probably Hear
He often opens a song with a soft verse to let the room sing before the beat lands. The crowd skews young but mixed, with friend groups up front, a pocket of newer pop fans hanging mid-floor, and a few parents riding the rail. You might hear him tease an unreleased chorus or extend an outro to stretch the release. A lesser-known note: his 30-day songwriting challenge fed several live staples, and early demos were tracked on a single mic in a spare room. All setlist and production guesses here are informed by past shows and releases, but they are not promises.The vaultboy Scene, Up Close
The room feels casual and warm, more like a meetup than a scene, with soft hoodies, thrifted denim, and simple sneakers everywhere. You will see small handmade signs in lowercase fonts, plus a cheerful trade of friendship bracelets that nods to online fandom without taking over the night.
Rituals that feel personal
During the quiet ballad, phone lights come out, but people tend to keep them low and listen. When everything sucks or another uptempo track hits, the chorus becomes a tidy call-and-response that the band clearly expects. Merch leans minimalist: lowercase logo tees, a pastel hoodie, a tote with a sketch heart, and maybe a beanie when it is cold. Conversations in line often touch on short-form videos that led folks here, but you also hear music-first chatter about favorite bridges or ad-libs.A vibe shaped by the internet, grounded by songs
It is an online-born crowd that still values live-room silence and a shared last chorus.How vaultboy Builds the Night
Onstage, vaultboy keeps the voice front and center, sitting in a clear mid-high range with light falsetto lifts for chorus tags. Arrangements often start with acoustic guitar or keys, then add a tight rhythm pocket so the melodies stay the focus.
Little choices that make choruses hit
The drummer usually runs a hybrid kit, layering handclap samples over a dry snare to keep the bounce while leaving space for vocals. Guitars favor bright capos for sparkle, and some songs drop a half-step live to make the top notes feel warmer for group singing. He likes to strip the bridge to a near whisper, then bring the band back on a delayed downbeat to heighten the last hook. Backline players double harmony lines rather than soloing, which thickens the hook without clutter.Light to frame, not to distract
Lighting tends toward soft pastels and slow sweeps that mirror the dynamics, with the occasional strobe accent landing on the final chorus.If You Like vaultboy, Try These Too
Fans who love diary-style storytelling and clean pop hooks often also show up for Alec Benjamin, whose whisper-clear vocals and narrative lyrics mirror the intimacy of vaultboy. Jeremy Zucker brings soft-edged beats and guitar textures that match the mellow side of the set.