Dear Boy didn’t realize they were making the best album of their lives. They were just having fun again.
The Los Angeles quartet, Ben Grey (vocals / guitar), Keith Cooper (drums), Austin Hayman (lead vocals) & Lucy Lawrence (bass / vocals) never set out to make a record so loud and euphoric, but Celebrator couldn’t be kept in the cake. After the meticulous melancholy of their first full length record, Forever Sometimes, the band was looking to make something unencumbered. Hopeful. Sunrise over sunset.
“It was almost like the four of us were creating together for the first time again,” singer Ben Grey says. “We had lived with the songs of Forever Sometimes for so long, we didn’t know what kind of band we’d be on the other side of it. Joyful, as it turns out.”
Working with producer Aron Kobayashi Ritch (Momma, Been Stellar, Snail Mail), Celebrator was tracked live in just under two weeks, both in Los Angeles and Brooklyn. The album is as much Stone Roses as it is Pinkerton. Teenage Fanclub and Siamese Dream. Catherine Wheel and Happy Mondays by way of Echo Park. Flourishes of 90’s Britpop and Southern California alternative. Grooves and cascades of fuzzy guitars. The emotional agility of Ben Grey’s lyrics, and Austin Hayman’s sublime guitar work. Melodic, loud and unpredictable. When you listen to Celebrator, it's as if you've just discovered a completely new sound. Songs from another lifetime. Confetti in every measure.
“We felt possessed by the moment. Kids with guitars exploring new ways to express ourselves. No ego. No expectation. No industry pressure. We made this album to remember why we do this in the first place. Because we love it. We love each other. Joy. Connection. Heartbreak. Celebration. We’re not interested in anything other than that.”
