What does Phoneboy sound like?  

Wyn: We play fast indie-rock.  

Ricky: Blink-182 and The Strokes are big influences.  

What’s a Phoneboy?  

Ricky: We used to practice in Wyn’s dorm room. Sometimes I would be in the corner, just zoning out on my phone. One day, Wyn got really annoyed and said, “Get off your phone, you … Phoneboy!” We started using it as our own kind of slang … when we needed a name for the band, we thought, “Why not Phoneboy?”  

What has been your most meaningful experience in the band so far?  

Ricky: We toured the U.S. last year [opening for another band] and got to play a sold-out show at Webster Hall in New York. There were more than a thousand people there, but every time I looked out into the crowd, I saw someone I knew — a lot of kids from Stevens for sure. It was probably the best show we’ve ever played.  

James: Going [on tour] to states and cities I’ve never been to before and having people sing along to the songs that we wrote — that was really cool, and still hard to wrap my head around.  

Wyn: Getting our record deal with AWAL [in August 2022] was pretty awesome. When we were signing the contract at the studio, my hands were shaking!  

James: I still have the pen.  

What did it feel like to sign with a record label?  

Ricky: I remember our manager telling us about the offer and I was blown away. I was thinking, “There’s no way a company is offering us money.” 

Wyn: It was ridiculous!  

James: It’s hard to have faith all the time, so to see that someone else [who doesn’t even know you] has faith in your music is really sick.  

Did you have a rider (list of backstage demands for each venue) on your latest tour?  

Ricky: We didn’t have a rider on the tour, but we did spend hours a day on the road. A question that kept coming up was “What would be on your dream rider?” so we assembled a list.  

James: We had a rider, and then our “unreasonable rider” — items that would be harder to acquire. For example, a bandolier of firecrackers, oysters, a flaming bow and arrow and a magician. More reasonable would be fresh socks, assorted nuts …  

Ricky: A charcuterie board! But in all likelihood, it would just be a bunch of beers and some fruit.  

What’s next for Phoneboy?  

Wyn: We were celebrating last night because our new single, “Ferrari,” came out today (January 17, 2023). On March 24, our second album, Moving Out, is coming out.  

James: And on that same day, we’re kicking off our first headlining tour, playing a show at House of Independents in Asbury Park, New Jersey.  

Ricky: Then we’ll be on the road until May 11 when we wrap up the 29-gig tour at The Bowery Ballroom in New York.

— As told to Erin Lewis  

Listen to Phoneboy on your favorite streaming service. Visit the band’s website to see tour dates and more.