Buzzy young band Sincere Engineer tours with heroes New Found Glory

"Hey baby! I'm calling you from a landline. Hey baby! I'm not having a good time."

The opening lyrics from Sincere Engineer's "Landline," off their 2023 record Cheap Grills, captures the Chicago band's sonic spirit well: wholeheartedly earnest and tragically honest, blending nostalgia with modernity, to a backdrop of infectious riffs and full-throated execution.

If you were to distill these qualities into a human, you would end up with Deanna Belos, the band's founder, leader and frontperson. Belos spoke to Orlando Weekly from somewhere in the suburbs of Chicago. She quit her job and moved back in with her parents to dedicate herself fully to her art.

"I moved back in with them to do the thing, you know," she says, "trying to keep the dream alive as long as I can."

Though that leap of faith isn't paying all the bills yet, it's opening up opportunities and making Belos' wildest dreams come true — such as her band kicking off a tour next week in Orlando with Florida's own New Found Glory.

Twenty years ago, a 12-year-old Belos bought her first CD. It was New Found Glory's fourth album, Catalyst. It's that album's double-decade anniversary this tour is marking.

"I think Chad [Gilbert, lead guitarist of New Found Glory] found us and is a fan, and we got asked," says Belos. "And I don't think they knew, but they were my first favorite band. And there's a picture of me like when I was like 12 in the Catalyst New Found Glory shirt."

Belos posted that photo when the band announced the tour. "I didn't even pick up a guitar at that point yet," shares Belos. "They were like, the first band that got me into music even ... it's a full circle moment for me."

Belos never thought she would be doing this. That 12-year-old two decades ago thought she was going to grow up to be a dentist. Belos tried taking music lessons in her early teens but it didn't really stick; ultimately she taught herself how to play guitar by learning songs by favorite bands.

Belos started writing songs in her 20s, adopting the Lawrence Arms-inspired moniker "Sincere Engineer" and playing every gig she could. Sincere Engineer released their debut record Rhombithian in 2017.

Drawing inspiration from her hometown and the bands that she loved growing up, Belos has created her own unique sound and consistently turns out bangers.

She would say she's late to the game, but based on the momentum behind Sincere Engineer, maybe Belos was right on time. Sincere Engineer is not a new band, but new fans keep coming. To hear them is to need to hear more of them.

Of Florida, Belos has many touring memories, recalling oppressive humidity, roaming chickens and — with laughter — tree climbing. "When we played Fest it was my tree-climbing year," says Belos. "I got a bunch of pictures of me climbing trees and watching bands from trees."

We all need a tree-climbing year, clearly. Belos is also scheming new heights with Sincere Engineer. "I'm gonna try to get back to Europe next year," says Belos. "I would love to see if we can try to tour Japan and Australia at some point. Those are big, loose goals. And I assume a new record next year or the year after?"

Orlando, you should catch Sincere Engineer while you can. And leave a message at the beep.