Pop-rock band POSTER BOY is embarking on a new musical journey with the upcoming release of their debut EP “Not Like I Need It” this Friday.
The duo, Cole Pivec and Henning Hanson, are long-time fixtures in the Twin Cities music scene, having played in the now-retired band Dial Tone for two years.
As their undergraduate years at the University of Minnesota drew to a close, Pivec and Hanson faced a critical decision regarding their musical ambitions: retire with their college band, pursue music semi-professionally or commit to going all in.
Both Pivec and Hanson grew up training in classical, jazz, theater and rock music. Aside from the full string quartet listeners will experience in their upcoming EP, Hanson notes that the two of them perform every instrument heard in their music.
Transitioning from a full band to a musical duo presented a challenge. They knew it was possible, however, drawing inspiration from successful local artists like Bad Bad Hats.
“In the cities, there’s some fantastic duo that has built their place in the local scene,” Hanson said. “We really look up to those groups and how they’ve been able to establish an identity as a duo.”
The choice to go all in became an opportunity to explore endless possibilities in the Twin Cities music scene and to build a unique name for themselves.
“It was definitely a weird transition to start picking [POSTER BOY] up right after graduation and recognizing how much bigger the pool was that your outreach could go to,” Pivec said. “And yet, how sort of infinite that was at the same time.”
The debut EP marks the beginning of a deeply personal, passionate journey. The five tracks explore the transitional period of college graduation in tandem with their individual relationship struggles at the time.
The two artists turned to music to express their emotions. “Not Like I Need It” encapsulates this period in their lives; certain tracks highlight moments, while others — rooted in honest emotion — depict fictional scenarios.
“Oftentimes our personal story might not be the most relatable thing,” Pivec said. “Being able to conduct imagery and musicality to actually build and tell what we’re trying to say, as opposed to cheating a connection any other way. I think it was something that was really important to us as well.”
The EP, which took about nine months to produce, not only documents the experience and feelings of POSTER BOY during a transformative time of life, but also serves as the launching point for a promising career.
The duo offers a unique blend of everything they have accomplished and what they wish to do in the future. Pivec said “Not Like I Need It” allows listeners to meet POSTER BOY and to reintroduce themselves as a musical duo.
In conversation with Pivec and Hanson, the duo’s deeply passionate dedication to their craft was clear. Their music and how they speak of it reflect their nature in every way.
The duo said this is only the beginning and that they have no plans of slowing down.
