What’s For Breakfast? With Dent May
In early 2024, LA based Singer-Songwriter Dent May celebrated his fifthteenth year in the music business. A milestone that coincides with the release of his sixth studio album What’s For Breakfast? The man behind the records is the epitome of the modern artist, navigating the throes of the industry alongside a range of other vocations. Dialling in from the West Coast, he recently caught up with us ahead of the launch of Some Other Time to discuss his new record, what inspires him and his distaste for the modern rock and roll aesthetic.
Having grown up in Jackson, Mississippi in the late 90s, Dent May’s formative years aligned with the introduction of domestic computing and the advent of the internet age, “We had AOL at my house and a Gateway 2000 with a CD burner in it. My friends and I would have CD burning parties and we would get together and share music”. It was during these genial exchanges that he formed a penchant for nu metal and pop punk which included the likes of Creed, Limp Bizkit and Weezer however, it wasn’t long until these initial sprouts of inspiration branched off into more nuanced territory.
“Allmusic.com changed my life. It was like an encyclopaedia of music. There was a related artist tab and I would pull up The Cars and then I would go to related artists and I’d say ‘who are The Raspberries?’” This process became the foundation of Dent’s musical education and in turn, the bedrock of his sound as an artist. “I got into The Zombies and more obscure 60s music, psych, pop, all kinds of stuff”.
Credit: Daniele Topete
Emerging on the scene back in 2009 with his debut record, The Good Feeling Music of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele, his early releases were unashamedly characterised by the amalgamation of sounds that inspired him. Bedroom rock’s answer to Dennis Wilson, his music was countercultural and defiant, rejecting all notions of what alternative music should be and how it should look; nostalgic, yet never contrived. “I have a lot of strong aesthetic preferences in my life, I like old things, I like history, I like dive bars and run down americana” all of which have blended seamlessly into his oeuvre over the years.
Dent’s new release is a continuation of these themes and the sum of a long road of experience and influence. “A lot of the ideas on this album are really old, at least one of the songs was written in its entirety before my last album came out four years ago”.
“I’ve always had a little bit of a distaste for the rock and roll aesthetic of today”
Sonically, the record is as expansive as the bright blue LA skies, revelling in shimmering synths, driving guitars and echoes of 80s yacht rock. Some of the best moments on the project chart Dent’s reverence for the everyday and his enduring desire for the bliss of unencumbered domesticity. “There’s a song called ‘The Simple Life’ on this album and a song called ‘Bungalow Heaven’ on my last album. They’re both about finding peace and calm, a simple existence in a neighbourhood you love, surrounded by people you love and finding meaning in that”.
An enduring trait of Dent May’s work is his ability to distance himself from worn out cliches and this opposition to the pastiche has come to play a central role in his projection as an artist. “I’ve always had a little bit of a distaste for the rock and roll aesthetic of today,” he explains, “humour has always been important to me. I want to present myself in a little bit of a goofy way sometimes” an intention perfectly realised in the faux infomercial produced for ‘One Call, That’s All’, the lead single from What’s For Breakfast?
Credit: Daniele Topete
Despite the parodies that typically illustrate his music, it is Dent’s lyricism, with its rich multitudinous quality that imbues his output with meaning. “I think my music is sort of bittersweet, where I’m combining these blissful feelings with melancholy and maybe in some cases, an impending sense of doom and an awareness of mortality”. The first song from the new record is a perfect example of this. “You Already Know” chronicles the slow passage of time, ticking away beyond the boundaries of our immediate attention. A gentle nudge and a brief reminder of the creeping shadow of our inescapable expiry, humourously adorned with the doo-wop spirit of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.
Fifteen years into his career, the continued evolution of Dent May is perpetuated, in no small part, by the events in his life away from the studio. “My main money making job, besides making my own music is DJing. Of course, I started doing bars and clubs, playing records I like but I've been doing a lot of weddings and corporate events and that's been hugely influential, for better or worse on my own music”.
“I think of music and all art as a social force”
Observings and embracing these communal experiences of music has led to a philosophical realisation for the artist, “I found it to be super inspirational and it has democratised my tastes in a way. I think of music and all art as a social force. And if there's a huge group of people together enjoying something, who am I to say that it’s not tasteful? Or isn't cool?” These ruminations have also raised questions about who he is creating his music for, “There’s this whole debate of, are you making your art for you or, are you making your art for your audience. Obviously, most artists will at least pretend that they’re making it for themselves and it is poisonous to think of your audience while you create”. While Dent acknowledges this to be true, his ideas regarding music as a social force have, in some ways, disrupted the value he places on himself during the creative process.
This understanding is perhaps the reason why his new record is his most collaborative to date. “There are times when I’m constantly questioning, why am I still doing this? There are long stretches of time where I don’t feel very inspired to write music”, which is inevitable, owing to the length of time that he has dedicated to his craft; however, working with others has proved an effective way to navigate these temporary lulls in inspiration. “My love of music has been re-energised by other people that I share the process of creating music with like Paul Cherry, who I co-wrote three of the songs with on the album and who I write with quite often and Pearl and Oysters, who are some of my best friends”.
Despite his extended career to date, it feels as though Dent May is just getting started. So, what is it that continues to drive him? The pursuit of perfection? “It’s more about the pursuit of not feeling totally humiliated” he confesses with a wry smile etched across his face. In fact, it’s all about longevity. “It’s more a desire to have a large catalogue of stuff that I've made when it’s all said and done and I’ve always thought of it that way, with a long term attitude”. With such an impressive tenure in the business, he has seen many promising acts come and go, succumbing to the pressures of the industry and the intense demands that it places upon people. “From day one, I just wanted a lot of albums. If it takes three or four years, instead of a year and a half, like some bands do, that’s okay. I want to be sixty years old with fifthteen albums or more”. So, just nine more to go.
What’s For Breakfast? by Dent May is set for release on 29th March via Carpark Records
