Ears Wide Open: Dream, Ivory

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Dream, Ivory (Photo by Liam Walsh)

Filipino-American brother duo Dream, Ivory turned heads with the melancholic jangle- and dream-pop on their 2017 self-titled EP, made while they were still in their teens. The siblings — Christian and Louie Baello, now 24 and 23, respectively — more recently have adopted the “we-don’t-need-no-stinkin’-genres” approach of many young artists. And their debut album, “About a Boy” (out Sept. 30), figures to mirror that.

Their new single (and the lead track on the album), “Soaking Up the Sickness,” would be right at home on an emo or pop-punk playlist, leading the way with harmonized guitars and tight bass/drums and inviting the kind of sing-along you used to enjoy (and maybe still do) from rock radio while flying down the freeway.

Hailing from Lake Elsinore, the brothers started as aspiring rappers — Christian produces under the name Ginseng — but their musical palette was broad. “When we were younger, we would listen to everything,” Christian Baellosays. “Anything from Fall Out Boy to Gorillaz to Starfucker and CHVRCHES, rap music …” Adds Louie, noting some parental influences: “Wings, Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, The Beatles.”

Says Louie: “We were born and raised on the Internet,” Louie says. “[We’d] just explore new things every single day.”

Beyond the hazy reverb of their earlier work, “About a Boy” counts the Cure, Garbage, Smash Mouth and Sum 41 as musical touchstones. The album was largely made over the internet, Christian having moved to L.A. and Louie remaining in Lake Elsinore. The duo’s self-produced album was mixed by Henry Stoehr of Slow Pulp.

“We used to stick to one sound,” Christian explains. “On this album, we’re doing different speeds of songs, upbeats, tempos, guitar tones. We’re diversifying ourselves … I just don’t really like the sub-labels of music, especially nowadays. The fan base is always like, ‘You’re different than what we thought.’ The stigma of being an indie band is so funny. People expect you to be a certain way.”

||| Watch: The video for “Soaking Up the Sickness”