Dear Pretender releases new album this week
The Band Dear Pretender comprised of Casey Samson (Vocals/Guitar), Evan Stratton (Guitar/ Vocals), Kyle Borchers (Bass/Vocals) and Jason Joy (Drums/Piano) released a new album, ”One Thing At A Time” on Nov. 16. The album was recorded at Lo-Field Studio, and mixed by Kyle Borchers.
Joy noted the band hadn't planned on getting back in the studio so soon after their first record, but as with many others, COVID-19 had a “strong hand” in changing their plans. After the first record came out the band was able to make a few “splashes'' and were fortunate enough to have a headlining show at The Blue Note in Columbia. That show was canceled due to COVID. “Obviously our main concern was safety of the concert goers, staff, and the bands playing, but it was obviously a huge hit to morale,” Joy said. “A studio record is a huge undertaking that involves a lot of people, planning, and effort and to not be able to share that record live with folks was definitely demoralizing.
“After that moment we had the option to crawl into a hole and be sad, or find a way to keep making music and doing what has always grounded us when things go downhill,” he continued. “We started writing again, mostly remotely, and we're able to do a livestream event and get that feeling of playing ‘live’ again which really motivated us to get things moving again. We realized after rehearsing for a bit that we had a new album written, so why not get back in the studio and put something out?”
The new record is a four song EP (Extended Play) and Joy said the band is proud of it.
“The songs speak to the time we are living in and we think that's something anyone can relate to no matter what side of any metaphorical fence you're on,” he added. “The lyrics ‘I'm not scared/ I'm not broken/I don't care/I'm not going/Back again/You can't make me/ Tried hard but you can't break me’ from the track ‘Nightmare (Dream)’ really speak to the tone of the record. “It's an album made to show ourselves that we can do it no matter what gets thrown at us,” he continued. “New jobs, kids in sports, life, pandemics; at the end of the day music grounds us and this album speaks to that. It means the world to us that anyone takes time out of their day to listen to some songs that four guys in Sedalia wrote and recorded.”
The new EP, ”One Thing At A Time,” can be found on any streaming platform such as Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Music and YouTube.
