mxmtoon | Juliet Ivy | March 21, 2025 | Soundwell
Reviewed and Photographed by Marlo Matamoros
mxmtoon pronounced (em-ex-em-toon) took the stage at a sold-out show at Soundwell in Salt Lake City on a Friday night. mxmtoon opened for AJR last year in July in Salt Lake City and is back this year headlining her own liminal space tour. She brought singer-songwriter Juliet Ivy along. I have never been to Soundwell so I was excited to see the space and feel the atmosphere. I walked into the venue and the first thing that I noticed was how packed it was. mxmtoon merch covered the shirts of many and the venue was loud.
Juliet Ivy
Juliet Ivy is a New York City native and is off her tiny but scary ep. She had a very successful ep in 2023 titled playpen with hits “we’re all eating each other”, “boytoy”, “lug”, and “bestfriend”. One of Juliet’s sources of inspiration for her lyrics is New York City’s public transportation and the people coming and going. “we’re all eating each other” blew up on TikTok and was quickly relatable to her viewers. She wants her music to bring comfort and have her listeners left feeling understood and provide an outlet for the introspective thoughts we have throughout the day.
Juliet took the stage and mentioned that she had never been to Salt Lake City but loved our mountains. One of the first songs she performed was “bestfriend”. Singing the lyrics “I’m not under any obligation I just love you without hesitation When I’m with you I don’t have to fake it Fall asleep in my bed and I’ll hold you cause you’re my best friend.” I noticed stuffed animal dogs on the merch table, she would eventually shout out her first baby which is her dog, and her second baby her butterfly guitar. She debuted new music including a song named after the year she was born. She also performed “4 foot 2” a song about reconnecting with your younger self.
Juliet was very interactive with the crowd teaching them the song “boytoy” where she shouted out Salt Lake City. She ended her opening set with one of her most popular songs about death titled “we are all eating each other. She shouted out her all-girl band and thanked everyone for being there. The merch line was packed throughout her whole set.
mxmtoon
mxmtoon would hit the stage after a quick intermission. She opened with “i hate texas”, and “prom dress”. She mentioned that this was her 8th year of making music. mxmtoon acknowledged the crowd and how Salt Lake City knew her lyrics. mxmtoon was interactive early on and wanted to make sure that the crowd was hydrated and comfortable for the show. Signs from fans filled the venue saying, “We made you bracelets” and “We love you”.
She went on to perform rain lighting up the venue with lightning. She followed up “rain” with “now’s not the time” which is a personal song about her mom from her latest album. That song left the venue quiet and set the mood for the following songs. She brought her ukelele and shared a story about how she started making music on a ukelele on YouTube. She wrote songs about experiences that had never happened.
She performed a song titled “cliché “about a situationship she had with someone on Minecraft who she would eventually meet and run into. Prior to her performance, I had known that her music had been featured in video games such as The Sims 4, Life is Strange: True Colors, and LEGO Horizon Adventures. She connected with her fans by sharing her story about coming out in 2017 and how she can now support others.
The night was filled with great lyrics, amazing visuals, and a supportive fanbase. I read an interview between Atwood Magazine and mxmtoon that I felt described her music and concert. In the interview, she said “I started my journey online with the intention of being about to disappear in the void of content uploaded every day. I didn’t have the goal of people finding my music, videos, or anything. I thought I might get washed away with the waves of other things people posted online every single day. Being online served as an escape from my daily life growing up and allowed me to be myself in a way, I didn’t feel comfortable doing offline.
To my surprise, my attempts to disappear online yielded the opposite results and tens of thousands of people ended up listening to what I had to share. It was terrifying, but it also helped me understand what was possible for me. I still have days where I wish I could disappear, but I also feel so thankful for the chance to build a community of people and a space online that others can feel accepted and understood.”
I would highly suggest attending one of her shows if you have the opportunity to do so.