Daiana Feuer on June 6th, 2018

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Ever since Robert Tilden’s girlfriend showed him Dent May‘s music back in high school, “his voice and melodies instantly stuck with me,” Tilden says. “It felt like a mesh between Carl Wilson and dare I say a little Frankie Valli. Something classic.” When they found each other on the same lineup for a festival, the former frontman of Bobby T. and the Slackers asked May to collaborate on a BOYO track. “I had the verse and chorus and the basic skeleton of this song that I knew would sound cool if we both sang on,” he explains. “He started filling in the blanks, adding lyrics and his signature harmonies.”

The result is “Take Me Away,” a stand-alone single following BOYO’s sophomore album, “Me, Again,” which came out in January via Danger Collective Records. The album dealt with dark times, songs written as Tilden worked through regret and isolation brought on by addiction. “Take Me Away” may not exactly be cheerful but it feels a bit more optimistic, due in part to May’s contribution perhaps, a man whose sole addiction seems to be wearing socks with sandals. Moreover there’s a dreamy tangle of musical lines to unravel, warranting repeat listens. “Recording in the same room with someone who you look up to and have been a fan of, having them sing atop one of your tunes, is surreal and humbling,” adds Tilden. 

||| Stream: “Take Me Away”

||| Also: Watch “Me, Again”

||| Previously: “A Social Death By Proximity,” “Insomnia,” Ears Wide Open