A lot has happened with Dear Blanca since the 2013 release of their debut album Talker. Most notably they’ve become a band with a solidified lineup including percussionist and vocalist Dayne Lee and bass player Cameron Powell. For their debut album chief songwriter Dylan Dickerson relied on musicians outside the core duo of himself and drummer Marc Coty including key horn arrangements by producer/recording engineer Bo White who also played bass on the album. Outside of Dickerson, drummer Marc Coty is the lone band member to play on both releases. Even before Coty, Dickerson was a one man music making machine, playing drums, harmonica, guitar, and singing at live shows. It wasn’t until their current lineup that the band came into their own. Live, Dickerson has room to roam with the tight grooving rhythm section made up of his three band mates, as he often coaxes vocals from Lee.
“Boulders” is the first single released off the bands sophomore album Pobrecito due out July 29 on Post Echo. We were lucky enough to include the album’s title track on our 2014 sampler, which is streaming above. These two tracks, along with others debuted live, show serious growth from Talker, which displayed tons of potential, but was overall spotty. For the new album Dear Blanca brought the venerable Bo White down from Charlotte, recording equipment in tow, and set up in Cameron Powell’s house where they pounded out the tracks. As White contributed to Talker, his contributions can be heard here in “Boulders” also. The cello tones throughout the song are White on keyboard playing a riff that really ties the song together. Likewise, it was his addition of horns on Talker that brought out the best in those songs. “Boulders” carries a live recording quality that’s both rough around the edges and endearing, matching Dickerson’s blue-collar voice. It’s exciting to watch Dickerson come into his own as a songwriter. With the upcoming album, and these two songs especially, he’s taken a huge step forward.
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