Grace has a similar experience with Noah’s whole emo scene fashion, except her emo phase started really early at 9 years old. She would go into Fantastic Sam’s wanting the comb over with all the layers to it. It would be really greasy, but it went perfectly with the Etnies shoes and the ripped jeans. As she started to get into music, she was drawn to Billy Joe Armstrong, Gerard Way, and Pete Wentz. These artists helped define that generation and attitude that can be shown in what you wear.

As a teacher, Alex has to dress more conservatively. His students will either state he dresses like a hipster or he looks like the dad from Coraline. He’s an admirer of the other bands’ clothing and how they take risks to wearing oversized androgynous outfits. Alex remembers wearing a lot of sweatshirts and sweatpants, often the same colors, throughout elementary and middle school. It wasn’t until sixth grade that a boy in his assignment group noticed the tag of his navy blue crew neck sweatshirt that said Limited Too. The boy called him out, alerting him that it was a girls brand and store. Baffled because the top was navy blue with green font, the sudden realization stung.

“I was very embarrassed going home and I never wore that again. I don’t know where my mom got that sweatshirt, but after that moment I was determined to carve out my own fashion,” shares Alex.

Having a band name that aligns with a relatively new fashion identifier like dad bod, can come with some weight. As much as Callie has tried to come up with something cool and creative to say about the creation of the name, like body dysmorphia, it actually hearkens back to listening to a lot of Midwest Emo band in high school. She made a long list of band names and when called to play her first show, the venue needed a name to drop on the promotional poster. She choice Dad Bod and it’s just stuck ever since.

“When it was first just Callie playing with the name Dad Bod, there was this opposite image of what you’d imagine that would be. Callie obviously doesn’t convey the name on stage. Now with the rest of us joining, we can still pull that off. But there is an aspect where as we age, like Alex, Noah, and me, if any of us get outta shape, then all of a sudden it doesn’t become funny or ironic anymore ,” Wilson chuckles.

Listening through the catalog of music from Dad Bod is an intriguing journey in itself. From the 2019 gentle entry of “Rot” to their first music video with “Spirit” that added gleaming guitars and edgier vocals, Dad Bod is always expanding that identity. Although there are elements of shoegaze in their underlying sounds; like ethereal, swirling vocals with layers of distorted and flanged guitars, there isn’t that heavier side that takes over. Nothing becomes too overwhelmingly loud, or driven to endless cascades of feedback. Their newest release “Milkdrinker” does hint at that heavier side with the second half of the song picking up with waves of drums and guitars, but tucked behind that front are Callie’s vulnerable and softer vocals that lure the listener into the song. The balance is strikingly beautiful.

Influences range between the band on how the genre shoegaze seeps into their music. Wilson concedes that at times he looks like Kevin Shields while Grace admits she’s never outgrown that 9 year old emo phase as My Chemical Romance continues to inspire her. Noah ties Daniel Blumberg of the band Yuck and the dirty denim baggy look into something he tried to emulate once. The most interesting influence comes from Callie’s kinship to Ethel Cain and the way she dresses herself as a character and enigma to her music. Cain’s blend of spiritual dream pop and ambient alternative rock focuses on Southern Gothic themes. It’s another clue into what Dad Bod chooses to pull from when making music.

Dad Bod’s added magic with their mismatched style is that it translates to their live show. Each member carries a different stage presence in how they play, from turning their back to the audience, to ramming their heads against each other, to Callie kneeling down on the floor like an emotional buoy. It gives you people and feelings to connect with, finding multiple outlets into the music.

The way that Callie plays with gender in their casual and formal blend of clothes mirrors a lot of the themes in their music. Alex pinpoints that connection with her being a business major and having societal expectations on what she wants in life. It’s a powerful outfit to don while emotionally being open to an audience onstage. At the same time Dad Bod doesn’t bring an aura of being unapproachable while performing. There’s ways to connect, make eye contact, and understand the band could easily be in your own circle of friends. For a band that’s a mishmash of influences, genres, and even careers, Dad Bod is on the precipice of curating a larger audience without conforming.