‘Falling’ for Instant Crush: Meet Seattle’s pop-rock sensation

Often, people who enjoy rock music are adamantly opposed to pop music. Seattle pop-rock four-piece Instant Crush incorporate both elements almost equally, creating a unique, compelling sound that is as danceable as it is hard-hitting. 

“I used to be really ashamed of taking influence from pop music”, says 22-year-old lead singer Megan Cannon, “I used to let other people’s opinions guide what I would enjoy, and I think the older I get, the less I care.”

Instant Crush is fairly new, only a few years old but already racking up over 35,000 monthly listeners. They have fans all over the world, with their top listeners in London, Seattle, Chicago, Sydney, and Los Angeles respectively. 

The band started as Cannon’s solo project in 2020, and then became a full group after MoPop Soundoff in 2021. Although Instant Crush has toured across the country, most of their shows remain local, often in the greater Seattle area.

Cannon shares that her musical inspirations range from 2010s pop superstar Katy Perry to emo music like Hot Mulligan and Modern Baseball. Their guitarist, Keegan Mangahas, is a big Arctic Monkeys and The Strokes fan. Each member has their own Spotify playlist, a short snapshot of their unique tastes that blend together to create a diverse sonic palette.

Other inspirations for Cannon include genre-bender Paramore and pop-rock band The Wrecks, which Instant Crush opened for back in August 2021. The singer looks back on that show with reverence that her band got to share a stage with one of their biggest inspirations, as well as a recognition of how much they’ve grown since then.

Instant Crush shows buzz with excitement. Under colorful lights, the crowd dances to songs about love, joy, anxiety, and sadness. With lyrics ranging from “don’t fall apart, ‘cause everyone is watching now” to “I’m so happy, think that I could die” all set to perfectly danceable rhythms, effervescent instrumentals and catchy melodies, the show is an acknowledgement and celebration of the human condition. Cannon describes their music as a “coming of age” and “coming to terms with yourself”, adding that she tends to be an anxious person, and that music is a great way for her to process and move forward. 

The instrumentalists often embellish and improvise their parts onstage, making their shows a unique experience every time. One of Cannon’s favorites shows was at The Funhouse with Hotel Mira last April. She remarks how incredible it was “being surrounded by friends and having an audience that was excited to see us.” After each show, the band plays back their performance, jamming along while taking note of how to improve. 

Cannon reveals that the band has lots of new singles coming, and then a physical release album soon after. She leaves fans by saying “thank you everybody for listening. I’m shocked that people actually listen to our music”. There’s a lot coming for this band, they’re already taking off and will continue to rise.

Listen to Instant Crush via Spotify.