It’s hard to believe, but Philly’s Dry Reef has been at it for over a decade, expanding beyond their hometown scene, building their name from coast to coast, one jangle-pop lick at a time.
The band’s warm and wistful style of swift rhythms and interlocking guitars draws on surf, jam, and a pinch of indie. At the same time, it isn’t limited by the genre constraints of any of those scenes. Think of Real Estate, The Drums, and Whitney as kindred spirits; like them, Dry Reef’s immersive playing acts as a platform for yearning, introspective songwriting that is fun and full of heart.
The band has had a busy year of cris-crossing the country on tour, road-testing cuts from this fall’s Easy I EP, and gearing up for a big hometown blowout at the end of the year, when they’ll headline The Foundry of The Fillmore Philadelphia on December 21st. We caught up with singer-guitarist Charles Minehart, singer-bassist Patrick Gillen, guitarist Collin O’Donnell, and touring drummer Satchel Schwartz at the end of July, when they were home for a brief respite between legs on the road. For their Key Studio Session, they shared three new songs: the soaring anthem “Real Again,” the gnarly crunch of “Yellow” — both on Easy I — and an as-yet unreleased tune called “Maybe Tomorrow” that strolls to a pensive verse before blasting off into a glorious chorus.
Watch Dry Reef’s Key Studio Session and check out photos from the taping below; for tickets and more information on their show at The Foundry, head to the WXPN Concert Calendar.