Here At Last

British five-piece Here at Last sidestepped the usual blueprint for boy bands by building their project from the ground up, linking up through social media, pooling resources under one roof, and handling their own releases. Capitalizing on their strong digital footprint, the group unveiled their first mini-album, EP1, during 2023.

The lineup first came together in 2020, right on the cusp of the COVID-19 lockdowns, when Tommy Lyon and Pedro Santos crossed paths after each had uploaded clips of themselves interpreting well-known tracks. Spotting an opening in the boy-band landscape, the pair recruited Zach Loizou, James Thomas, and Ryan Burns—all of whom had cultivated their own thriving online followings—to complete the roster. Early that year the five members settled into a shared house in Reading, England, just ahead of the pandemic’s arrival. The ensuing restrictions ultimately advanced their development, supplying uninterrupted stretches to rehearse as a unit, lay down recordings, and expand their audience via social platforms.

In the year that followed, the members dropped their first single, “Remedy,” then added two further releases before December arrived: “Casting Shadows” and “Happy.” Throughout 2022 they rolled out numerous additional singles, steadily growing their listenership by blending buoyant pop numbers with emotionally charged ballads. Opening 2023 with “Bloodshot,” the band kept issuing fresh tracks while also appearing as support for Take That and Sugababes at Hyde Park, London. That August, Here at Last released their debut mini-album, the eight-track EP1, interleaving brand-new songs with several earlier cuts.