Early Morning Rebel marries fashion and music

(CBS News) The members of the L.A.-based band Early Morning Rebel have been "busy and wonderful" these days - just the way they like it, says lead singer Nathan Blumenfeld-James.

The guys are busy because they're readying a full-length debut and about to go on tour.

Wonderful? That's probably because their lead single, "Life Boat," appeared in a recent "Grey's Anatomy" episode. Buzz soon followed about the group, which formed just nine months ago. Not to mention Early Morning Rebel has garnered a celebrity following, too.

It's not that they've become musicians overnight, though. Blumenfeld-James and guitarist Dustin Bath have been friends and collaborators since age 14.

"We're like brothers at this point," Blumenfeld-James tells CBSNews.com. "It's really like a family dynamic."

Through the years the childhood pals have been involved in various projects, but something about Early Morning Rebel has really clicked.

"With this one [project], we were very pointed and very focused," Blumenfeld-James said. "We wanted to really create a sound that we believed in, that we can really get behind and that felt authentic to us."

That sound can be heard on the group's lead single "Life Boat," a song Blumenfeld-James describes as "raw" and "sparse."

"I wrote the song with the intention of 'Grey's Anatomy' because I do love that show and especially what they do for music," he said, adding that he also wrote the song from his "core," while drawing on personal experiences.

"Life Boat," currently available on EP, will also appear on Early Morning Rebel's full-length album, due out this fall.

In between now and then, Early Morning Rebel plans to ride the fashion wave, a comfortable place for Blumenfeld-James and Bath. In the past they've written songs for London Fashion Week and plan to attend upcoming Fashion Weeks in Paris and New York, too. They see fashion and music as a perfect marriage.

"The designers' line or collection is like our album or songs," Blumenfeld-James said. "We love fashion. We love the artistry and what designers are capable of. It's inspiring to us."

And for Early Morning Rebel, it's about joining forces with other artists, too.

"We really wanted to create a community with designers and artists and filmmakers and photographer and to really collaborate with them with the intention of creating music and inspire other artists and have art inspire our work," Blumenfeld-James said.

Blumenfeld and Bath directed the "Life Boat" video. Watch it below: