Quarantunes: A playlist by Dear Boy

Kevin Bronson on April 8th, 2020

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Dear Boy are L.A.’s favorite Britpop band who aren’t actually from Britain. And the songlist frontman Ben Gray compiled for today’s edition of the Buzz Bands LA interview/artist playlist series QUARANTUNES reveals the ruffled sleeves on which the quartet wears its heart. Pulp to start, Pulp to finish, and a lot of good in between.

THE LATEST FROM DEAR BOY

Dear Boy — the L.A. quartet comprised of Ben Grey, Austin Hayman, Keith Cooper and Lucy Lawrence — have been tugging Anglophile heartstrings ever since they released their first music six-plus years ago. They released the latest in their swoon-worthy anthems, “The Nominee,” in January. And after three EPs and a host of singles, they’re readying a full-length album, even in the constraints of quarantine.

HOW ARE YOU HOLDING UP AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MANAGE THE ‘STAY AT HOME’ EDICT?

Ben Grey: We’re doing pretty well under the circumstances, thank you for asking. We’re feeling that fear and uncertainty, same as everybody else, but we’re doing our best to stay healthy and be there for each other.

We actually started work on our full-length at the beginning of March, so I’ve spent the last two weeks swapping one quarantine for another and tracking vocals at Keith’s studio. It’s a challenging new practice to sing at a safe distance and not really interact with my dear friend, but I’m getting the hang of it.

And we’ve also been blessed to have our incredibly talented musician friends contribute to the album by recording little pieces at their own studios and then sending us the files. It’s been very exciting and we feel really lucky to have a small sense of normalcy in all of this.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO WHEN THIS IS OVER?

Ben Grey: Reconnecting. It’s such a privilege to be part of this beautiful community and we’d like to get back to it, thank you very much. We miss our friends, we miss our fans and we miss the loudness.