Members of the band Dear Leader are (left to right) Jon Sulkow (bass), Aaron Perrino (lead singer), Paul Buckley (drummer), and Will Claflin (guitar). (Globe Staff Photo / Dina Rudick)

The guitar-driven Dear Leader is reaping sudden attention -- much to the amusement of singer-guitarist Aaron Perrino. "We're getting a lot of label interest, and I'm starting to get wacky phone calls at home from Green Day's manager and Good Charlotte's manager," says Perrino (above, second from left). "It's kind of crazy, but we'll see what comes of it."

Perrino's last band was the Sheila Divine -- a popular act that rose to headliner status at the 2,000-capacity club Avalon, but could never get beyond that. "We'd keep trying and we'd pack Avalon, but the labels were through with us," Perrino says. "Once I stopped and started Dear Leader, then the labels came calling again."

Dear Leader may have a better shot at national attention than Perrino's previous act. He has put more emphasis on his lyrics, he's a better guitarist now, and he has a strong cast at his side, including bassist John Sulkow (who was with Tugboat Annie), drummer Paul Buckley (formerly of Orbit), and guitarist Will Claflin, who helmed Cheerleadr.

"The great thing about this band is that everybody has done it before," says Perrino. "We have clear-cut ideas and we want to make this a positive thing. We want it to be 100 percent fun."

The group's debut CD, "All I Ever Wanted Was Tonight" (on Buckley's Lunch Records), is a welcome blast of Brit-rock-injected music, along with some U2-ish earnestness in the song "Young Hearts." And there's an added political edge in the tracks "Raging Red" and "Culture Vultures," which is about a herd mentality. "I'm not in your face about politics, but I did want to say something," Perrino explains.

He notes that he first envisioned a rotating lineup for Dear Leader, but Buckley pushed him into solidifying it into a single group. Now he's glad he did -- and doubly glad that the band enlisted the services of local star producer/engineer Paul Kolderie. "He'd worked with the Pixies, Radiohead, Belly, Buffalo Tom, and many others," says Perrino. "Paul was very easy to work with. You almost didn't know you were recording, but he brought such a shine to the music."

LENGTH OF TIME PLAYING TOGETHER: One year. MUSICAL INFLUENCES: Echo & the Bunnymen, Doves, and "all that Brit-pop stuff," says Perrino. WHO THEY THINK THEY SOUND LIKE: "I hate to compare myself to bigger people, but I'd like to think Bono, Ian McCulloch, Morrissey, Thom Yorke, and Johnny Cash, of course," he says. THEY'LL KNOW THEY'VE MADE IT WHEN: "We're on VH1's 'The Fabulous Life of Dear Leader.' " QUIRKY FACT ABOUT THE BAND: "We come to my house before gigs and my girlfriend cooks gourmet meals with wine. We have a dinner party instead of pacing around in a club all night before we play. That's too stressful."

- STEVE MORSE