Bory

Listening to a Bory song is like stepping into a universe all its own, a kaleidoscopic journey filled to the brim with effortless hooks and guitar lines that get stuck inside your head for weeks on end. Following 2021’s Sidelined EP, songwriter Brenden Ramirez emerges onto the scene as a devout student of the pop song on Who’s A Good Boy, the long-awaited debut LP from Bory. Showcasing both Ramirez’s knack for a great melody as well as his versatility around the fretboard, Who’s A Good Boy is an absolute tour de force, an album where the lines separating dream pop, indie rock, and power pop are blurred to the point of being indistinguishable.

Recorded and produced by friend and frequent collaborator Mo Troper, Who’s A Good Boy is equal parts scrappy and starry-eyed in its sonic makeup. Album opener “The Flake” sets the stage with fuzzy guitars crashing in and Ramirez’s relaxed vocals placed front and center, as a result, the track feels like throwing on a warm blanket. And look no further than the album’s charming lead single “We Both Won,” a jangly earworm with the hypnotic refrain of “Don’t worry about me” lingering long after the track ends, serving as further proof that Bory has found the recipe for the perfect pop song and knows how to deliver it in two minutes flat. At every twist and turn of Who’s A Good Boy there’s something new to be discovered, making it one of the most exciting debuts you're likely to hear in a long time.

-Michael Brooks