Zack Fraser sits down for another interview with a promising Wilmington act, Tercel, who roll into 2026 with a new EP and even more music on the horizon!
Tercel is an indie rock band native to Wilmington, NC. Taylor Salvetti, the band’s drummer, aptly described their sound as “When talking to people, I always say wall-of-sound indie guitar rock with an alt-country influence.” The group also cites nature as a large influence on their work. Savannah Wood (bass/vocals), Robin Wood (guitar/vocals), and Chris Vinopal (pedal steel & six-string guitar/vocals) have struck a unique dichotomy with their music. Their live shows are high-energy and enjoyable, yet the meaning behind the music itself is deep and has a bigger message than meets the eye. To learn more about Tercel, I spoke with the group about their work and creative processes:
Back in August of last year, you made an Instagram post teasing an album. How is the record coming along and are there any details you could share with the fans?
The album is coming along nicely! We released a 5 song EP, recorded by Ian Millard, back in December. Now we are playing shows in support of that EP while writing new songs to, hopefully, get recorded in the next few months!
What mistake(s) taught you the most as a group or led to the most artistic growth?
One “mistake” would be going into recording with a “fast” mentality. Record it fast! Then it will get mixed fast, mastered fast, and released fast! But instead now going into recording with a methodical and diligent attitude. Slowing down to get the best sound.
Can you please walk me through the band’s creative process when making material?
Most songs start in the Wood’s (Robin and Savannah) living room. Robin messing around on guitar, Savannah finding a melody, then bringing it to the practice space. There, Taylor deciphers Robin’s weird time signatures, Chris pulls his cosmic guitar parts out of the ether, and sometimes words come straight from the living room or are found all together in that space.
Which song was emotionally hardest for the band to agree on releasing, and why?
We didn’t necessarily struggle emotionally on a song release. We struggled more with which songs to release on the EP that came out in December, and which songs to hold for the full length album. When you record something you want to get it out! But it takes a lot of restraint to hold it and wait for the right moment, not immediate satisfaction but a slow burn.
How intentional is Tercel with their work?
Very. Everything goes under the scalpel, everything is scrutinized, worked on, worked through, slowed down, sped up, and if it doesn’t cut it, it goes into “the vault”. Maybe to be worked on again, made anew, or maybe to rest forever.
As mentioned on the Digital Drip episode, Robin talked about how current events and nature influence the group’s lyrics. What specific events in nature and the modern climate were you referring to?
We, as humans, are currently living in a mass extinction event. We, as a band, are living on a frontier of climate change on the NC coast. Technological obsession separating us from nature occupies a lot of our thoughts and conversations as a band and that all comes out lyrically.
I’d like to hear more about your experience with Jerry Kee. How were you able to connect with him, and was the experience everything you hoped it would be?
James at Fort Lowell was entirely responsible for connecting us with Jerry! The experience helped shape us as a band. Traveling to play a show, then recording two songs the next day showed us that we were able to handle that much fun and work in the same weekend! Jerry’s straightforward techniques and mastery of the board allowed us to start hearing our sound more clearly.
Check out a wonderful live performance by Tercel below:
