Forget alt-folk, Ben&Ben is going full on love ballad with their new song.

Ben&Ben’s new song titled “Dear” switches it up a bit for the 9-piece alt-folk and pop band. This time they went full-on love song on their latest single and would it be any surprise if said little switcheroo sounds so good?

It does. In fact, the opening immediately catches the ear. Maybe it’s those singing basslines from Agnes Reoma and the way it interacts with the arpeggiated and heavily chorused guitar at the intro. Right at the onset, “Dear” just catches your attention and doesn’t let go until the end.

According to their press, the song “captures the essence of romantic love without forcing or expecting anything in return.” Mushy, but it’s a love song, remember?

The band said in a statement, “we think it’s equally important to drop any notion of wanting to deliberately steer clear of potential sounds and themes we may have already done when being unapologetic and honest in songwriting and arranging.” That’s the band just saying they don’t care about preconceived notions about how they should sound and would, importantly, follow where the song takes them.

“Dear” is written by brothers Paolo and Miguel Benjamin and is “a reflection of the band’s collective and individual experiences with love so far and how one becomes stronger after going through bittersweet lessons in life.” Didn’t we already mention it’s a love song? The band added that the song is about a “deeper kind of romantic love. One that begins when a person surrenders the pursuit of a lover itself to a higher love.”

Which is to say that “Dear” is all about the right kind of love, with pretty sonics to boot. The song was recorded in Dubai during the band’s stint at Expo 2020.

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