Dent May w/ Jack Name, Teen Daad
The Mill – Feb. 3 at 9 p.m. ($8)
While his name sounds like a nom de plume, Dent May is the real name of this musician. May explores the commonalities of life — particularly love — and does it in inventive ways. On his debut album, The Good Feeling Music of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele, he sang his light pop songs with the accompaniment of an ukulele. This drew him comparisons to other solo artists like Jens Lekman due to his fine songcraft.
For May, this album was only the beginning of his musical odyssey. Following his debut, May abandoned the warm ukulele for cold electronic instruments, leading to 2012’s Do Things. The warmness of May’s gentle, wispy voice and pop songcraft mix fabulously with the synths and drum machines creating a breezy, laid back album that recalls the swinging style of Mac Demarco.
This easygoing vibe continues on his newest album, Warm Blanket. While still investigating everyday life topics like paying rent on time, May dials back on the synthetics and brings back more of his initial influences like the Beach Boys and Harry Nilsson. The result is an album that is still easygoing but with more of May’s personality. Most importantly, the album maintains the most appealing aspect of May’s music: It’s damn catchy. Pop kids: Watch out! Dent May is someone worth your time.
