Dressed Like Boys

Jelle Denturck is the singer and frontman of DIRK., a popular Belgian indie band that – in his own words – ‘has been making a fair amount of noise these past few years’. But in fact he thinks he’s a real softie, with a record collection full of melancholic indie pop and rock music: David Bowie, Lou Reed, Elton John, Nina Simone, Anohni & The Johnsons, Sufjan Stevens, Perfume Genius, Tobias Tesso Jr., ... clearly there’s a side to Denturck that doesn’t easily reveal itself in DIRK.’s music.

It's about time, Denturck feels. As Dressed Like Boys he wanted to write songs and make a record all of his own. Not to turn it into an ego trip, but by way of self-examination. Denturck sings about the search for personal freedom, about his dearest friends, his homosexuality and relationship, but doesn’t shy away from uncomfortable topics like gay bashing either. It doesn’t get more personal and fragile than this.

For all the noise Denturck likes to make with DIRK., Dressed Like Boys allows him to turn the volume down a bit for an intimate look into his soul. Listen to debut single ‘Nando’ and hear how the combined forces of Tobias Jesso Jr., Billy Joel and Elton John would sound like. Having supported The Haunted Youth for the European leg of their tour, Dressed Like Boys have played in places like Berlin and Hannover, and in front of sold-out crowds in Antwerp and Utrecht.