Exclusive album premiere of ‘Can I Be Frank?’ by Dear Daria.

“‘Can I Be Frank?’ is essentially a two-part record. Half the record was written in the midst of a musically inspired summer, which is reflected in the celebratory, living-in-the-moment vibes of tracks such as ‘Best Life’ and ‘Delaware’. These songs came together effortlessly, with the band’s collaborative writing style reaching a peak. The other half of the record was written at the beginning of the pandemic. Since we were unable to meet in person, parts were swapped back and forth digitally. This inherently changed the way we constructed songs, and allowed us to explore sounds and musical avenues that may have been more difficult to do in person. The entire writing and recording process was filled with setbacks and delays, and ended up taking far longer than we could have ever anticipated. Our belief in the songs never wavered, and the fact that this record exists is a testament to our collective desire to share these songs with the world”. Maryjo Mattea

What do a goth kid, an indie rocker, a progressive metal-head, and a ’90s alt-rocker have in common? The Beatles, and, apparently, a lot of Wayne’s World jokes.

When DC pop-rock mainstay and Beatles fanatic, Maryjo Mattea, assembled a solo band after the demise of her last project, she had no idea the motley assortment would become her ideal band. The quartet coalesced as the indie pop-rock band, Dear Daria—yes, as in the 1990s MTV animated series, Daria—and now emerges with its infectiously catchy debut, ‘Can I Be Frank?’.

Dear Daria writes storyteller songs about angst, love, mental health and depression, and a longing for the world to be the kind of safe and accepting place we all wished we lived in. The band’s spirit is informed by a post-modern mosaic of cultural references including Daria, John Hughes movies, Wayne’s World (and even Wayne’s World 2), The Pixies, The Beatles, and a wide array of other movies, bands, and TV shows. Musically, Dear Daria is a brightly-colored swirl of power pop, indie rock, alt-rock, and pop punk. The DC four-piece has been favorably compared to Paramore, Rilo Kiley, and The Donnas.