BRITPOP BY WAY OF THE 101 FREEWAY: DEAR BOY RELEASE SOPHOMORE ALBUM CELEBRATOR
Out October 17th via Last Gang Records
“Dear Boy have positioned themselves as a band worth indulging your youthful abandon with.”- NYLON
“Their work feels evergreen. It’s bittersweet and unabashedly nostalgic”- SPIN
“Dear Boy’s melodic indie rock has seen them become a driving force in LA’s underground music scene, drawing primarily on late 70’s / early 80’s post-punk and early 90’s britpop, laced with their contemporary perspective, and powered by evocative, wistful lyrics.” – WONDERLAND
Following a rollout of successful singles, LA indie rockers Dear Boy drop their highly anticipated sophomore album, Celebrator, on October 17th via Last Gang Records.
“Melodic, moving, and unpredictable”—Celebrator is an album that sounds like discovering “a completely new sound. Songs from another lifetime. Confetti in every measure.” Following the success of their 2022 debut Forever Sometimes, Dear Boy took a radical step back from perfectionist production practices and instead leaned into creative spontaneity. Written in only twelve sessions with lyrics completed shortly after, the entire album was recorded live in essentially two weeks—a feat in palpable energy and musical chemistry.
“We made this album to remember why we do this in the first place,” says Dear Boy. “Because we love it. We adore each other. Joy. Connection. Heartbreak. Celebration. We’re not interested in anything other than that.”
This urgency and spontaneity pulses throughout the record. From the swirling shoegaze-trip hop haze of ‘Kelly Green’ to the Madchester-infused groove of ‘The Address’, each track bursts with a transatlantic energy—UK grit colliding with laid-back LA warmth in all the best ways. But it’s ‘Now More Than Ever’ that stands as the album’s beating heart and most anthemic moment. Drenched in shoegazey guitars and driving rhythms, it’s all swirling riffs and thunderous drums. Ben Grey‘s vocals shift from soaring power to intimate whispers, creating a brilliant push-and-pull tension that ebbs and flows throughout—pure indie rock energy with real emotional depth.
Of the track, Ben adds “No More Than Ever” was the last song written for the album. Austin brought the music in two days before recording. I finished the lyrics minutes before the plane landed in New York. And it’s maybe my favorite song on the record. Isn’t that always the way? It’s a song about time. And how sweet life can be when you bend it to your will.”
The band’s approach to their sophomore effort was rooted in authenticity and human connection. “With so many people obsessed with algorithms, AI, and whatever, we wanted to do something completely different. Recording live. Human connection. Celebrating what four best friends can do together with their instruments and their shared experience,” explains the band. Their goal: to write songs in the way only people can—to craft a rock album that didn’t rely on tropes or cliche. Clever. Emotional. Loud. Warm. Forever.
“We were brimming over with energy when we first sat down to write this album. It poured out of us,” Dear Boy recalls. “We had spent so long writing our first album, we didn’t know what the band was on the other side of it. Being a DIY band for so long, we never formally ‘sat down’ to write a record. It was constant survival and touring and scrappiness. This time, however, it was unbridled enthusiasm. We were falling for each other again.”
Working with producer Aron Kobayashi Ritch (Momma, Been Stellar, Snail Mail), the band embraced a live recording process that demanded immediacy and honesty. “Since we were recording live, we knew instantly whether or not the songs were working. The monitors don’t lie,” the band notes. “We threw out full arrangements and reworked songs on the fly. It was the most rewarding and creative experience of my life. Aron really fostered an environment for that type of excitement. Celebrator was the only name for this album and this experience.”
A triumph in LA’s underground music scene, Dear Boy was formed by lead vocalist Ben Grey and drummer Keith Cooper while they were residing in London in their mid-twenties. Austin Hayman (lead guitar) and Lucy Lawrence (bass, vocals) joined once the band returned home. Together, the four have set out to establish something thoughtfully informed and completely fresh—a sound that bridges continents and eras while remaining distinctly their own.
Despite the band’s American roots, Dear Boy has always drawn deeply from the music of ’80s and ’90s Britpop and shoegaze. Pulp, The Cure, Cocteau Twins, The Stone Roses, The Smashing Pumpkins, Oasis, and Suede sit alongside American alternative titans like Pixies, R.E.M., and Talking Heads in their pantheon of influences. “We used to say we sound like if Creation Records and Factory Records put out the same band in 2025, with HQ located in the San Fernando Valley,” they explain. “But with Celebrator, I suppose I’m happy calling it Alternative Rock. Indie Rock. Britpop by way of the 101 Freeway.”
Yet it’s Los Angeles—one of the most misunderstood cities in the world—that has had the most influence on their work. “Nobody realises what a strong community it is. Its diversity is its strength. What makes it beautiful,” says the band. “While we are fascinated with countless genres and their places of birth, nothing comes through Dear Boy without first passing through the lens of LA.”
Celebrator is out October 17th via Last Gang Records.
