An Alternative Wednesday: EVNTYD Spends the Evening at Chess Club in Austin

On July 17th, Austin local EVNTYD played at Chess Club with support from Nashville’s Baby Wave.

EVNTYD (pronounced “eventide”)  is the solo project from Austin local Julián Berdegué. He released his first song under EVNTYD amidst the 2020 pandemic, titled “Kyoto,Tokyo (Draft 1)”. This release was followed in the next couple of years by a series of singles including “Thinking of You ” and “Boredom,” which amassed over 3.5 million streams.

In 2023, EVNTYD’s first full length album, Eventide was released, including popular tracks such as “Hard On Us” and “Parisian Fur.” The album displays an ethereal combination of indie rock, shoegaze, and dream pop – creating a feeling that transcends time and space. Most recently, EVNTYD released the Watershed EP, which only further displayed Berdegué’s undeniable talent.

After this solo project came to life during COVID-19, EVNTYD played his first live show in September of 2022 at The Ballroom. Since then, he has played shows all across Texas, including performances at staple venues such as Mohawk, Empire Control Room & Garage, and Paper Tiger. His most recent performance at Chess Club was a memorable one that truly highlighted EVNTYD’s ability to not only make incredible music, but perform it notably well. Joined by his band, EVNTYD played a mix of songs from the past few years and more recent tunes from Watershed. The audience appeared very engaged with the performance, seemingly hanging onto every note the band played.

As the set continued on, people wandered into Chess Club, intrigued by the melodies coming from inside. The crowd grew, and people cheered with excitement after each song ended, showing a surprising amount of energy for a Wednesday night. As the set came to a close, everyone began chanting, “One more song! One more song!” with hopes of a final sliver of music before turning in for the night. After seeing if it was alright with the venue staff, EVNTYD appeased the crowd with a beautiful first performance of his newest song “Sunday.” 

I am a photographer and live music lover based in Austin and raised in Houston. I recently graduated from The University of Texas at Austin, where I studied Marketing and co-led the photo team at Afterglow ATX. I feel most at home where people are moshing, thrifting, or sipping coffee. My favorite artists include The Maine, Pierce The Veil, 5SOS (+ Luke's solo work), Waterparks, MCR, Taylor Swift, and Harry Styles.