The Dear & Departed deliver guitar-driven pop-punk marked by sturdy melodies and a fashionable gothic undercurrent. The five-piece California outfit never needed to fake an imported hipster image, since every member originated beyond U.S. borders. Vocalist Dan Under and guitarist Darren Parkinson both grew up in England, drummer Joel Bourne entered the world in Australia, guitarist Simon O'Gorman hails from neighboring New Zealand, and bassist David Williams is a native of Wales. Once the musicians converged in Southern California, they quickly attracted notice by befriending AFI and Avenged Sevenfold, two groups that promptly booked the newcomers as tour support. The resulting attention secured a deal with independent imprint Science Records, which booked studio time with producer Chris Vrenna during the final months of 2006; Jade Puget of AFI contributed additional production touches. That collaboration yielded the album Something Quite Peculiar, issued in May 2007 just in time for the band to join that summer’s Vans Warped Tour.
