Every morning when Dent May wakes up, the first thing he says is, “What’s for breakfast?” For the Los Angeles-based songwriter and pop auteur, this question is part inside joke with his girlfriend, part sitcom-style catchphrase, and part mantra about getting up every day and persevering in the face of good or bad is happening around you in your life. It’s also the title of his sixth album, which is out on March 29, 2024 via Carpark Records. What’s For Breakfast? is May’s most immediate, nostalgic, and rollicking LP yet, one that’s concerned with breaking daily routines and rediscovering the joys of songwriting.
Over the past 17 years, May has been a consistently adventurous and prolific bedroom pop pioneer and connoisseur of impeccably crafted melodies. Though his songs are always well-written and comfortable, with What’s For Breakfast?, May has freed himself up to more playfully experiment with new and vintage musical inspirations. “I’ve occupied a lot of different lanes over the years,” says May. “I’ve always been drawn to making kaleidoscopic pop inspired by old soul, disco, country, whatever. This time around, I was tapping into music from my childhood, like The Strokes, Weezer and Elephant 6 Collective bands.” By revisiting the music of his youth—energetic and infectious guitar rock—he found a vibrant palate to explore for this new LP.
Lead single “One Call, That’s All” kickstarts with frenetic guitar-driven intensity. While the track slyly takes its name from the slogan of an ambulance-chasing Mississippi lawyer, May sings of unrequited love and phone-based ennui. “It’s a fast tempo pop-rock song that isn’t like anything I’ve done before,” says May. Elsewhere, opener “You Already Know” showcases May’s goofball lyrical charm with lines about playing chess online and looking like a Dawson’s Creek character. Beyond the jokes in the song, there is a bittersweet recognition of time passing and a call to action when May sings, “Now you already know what time it is / It’s time to live your life / Cuz it’s flying by / No matter the day, week, month or year / It’s time to do a lot / Ready or not.”
What’s For Breakfast? marks another first for Dent in being his most collaborative LP yet. Alongside guest appearances from Jimmy Whispers and co-writes with Paul Cherry, are two standout singles with Jordana and Pearl & The Oysters respectively. Jordana assists on the wistful “Coasting on Fumes,” which captures the feeling of being stuck in a rut while the yearning “Time Flies When You’re Having Fun” guests Pearl and the Oysters. “My first album came out almost 15 years ago, so bringing in others to help out is crucial to keep things interesting,” says May. “I’m constantly falling back in love with music through the eyes of others. This album is about remembering why I like music.”
“The craft of songwriting is 100% what I'm about,” says Dent May. “That's what keeps me going. My goal is to just live a long life and write a ton of good songs.” With the Mississippi-raised, Los Angeles-based musician and pop auteur what you see is what you get: a restless and prolific artist who worships at the altar of a memorable hook and a sharp lyric. There is no gimmick or press-ready narrative about May overcoming past trauma, mental breakdowns, or surpassing insurmountable obstacles. This is simply a guy who is extraordinarily good at making warm and inviting tunes. He’s done it for over 15 years and isn’t stopping anytime soon.
The 38-year-old artist has made a career of impeccably crafted pop songs starting with his 2009 debut The Good Feeling Music of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele, which came out on Animal Collective’s label Paw Tracks. His follow-ups in 2012’s Do Things and 2013’s Warm Blanket solidified him as a bedroom pop pioneer whose songs felt equally timeless and ahead-of-the-curve. Following a move from Mississippi to Los Angeles, May signed with Carpark and released two increasingly adventurous albums in the psychedelic Across the Multiverse from 2017 and the silky Late Checkout in 2020.
His latest LP is What’s For Breakfast?, his sixth album and third with Carpark, marks a shift from timeless pop to more guitar-driven rock. The 10-song collection is some of May’s most energetic and immediate tunes yet. It mirrors his relentlessly prolific streak, which includes platinum-certified singles with Eyedress and guest appearances with The Undercover Dream Lovers, Bob Jr., and Paul Cherry. Alongside two other artists, he operates and works out of the recording studio Honeymoon Suite in northeast Los Angeles.
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Dent May
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