Dent May

Dent May applies his ethereal vocals to witty pop songs shaped by soft rock, sunshine pop, and disco. Ukulele strumming appears briefly on his 2009 debut, The Good Feeling Music of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele, while a cosmic disco collaboration with Frankie Cosmos occupies the title track of 2017’s Across the Multiverse; across this narrow palette he displays notable range. His strongest work surfaces in melancholy, effortlessly charming midtempo pop, as on 2013’s Warm Blanket, 2020’s Late Checkout, and the jangling, power-pop-styled “What’s for Breakfast?” released in 2024.

Raised in Mississippi, May sang in his church choir, studied piano and guitar, and played in cover bands throughout high school. Early compositions reflected Green Day and Weezer, yet exposure to Serge Gainsbourg and 1960s psychedelic pop redirected his writing. While attending the University of Mississippi he spearheaded the Cats Purring Dude Ranch collective, which backed local musicians and booked touring acts. Regular performances led Animal Collective, then recording Merriweather Post Pavilion in Oxford, to sign him to Paw Tracks for his appealing pop sound and incisive lyrics. The Good Feeling Music of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele appeared in early 2009 and featured ukulele on numerous tracks. He next adopted the Dent Sweat alias for synth-heavy, R&B-tinged dance music issued in 2010. Do Things followed in 2012, folding those textures into a ukulele-free approach. Warm Blanket arose from solo sessions in a reportedly haunted house, shifting emphasis toward introspective songwriting. After moving to Los Angeles he absorbed West Coast sunshine, audible on the disco-flavored 2016 single “Face Down in the Gutter of Your Love.” He also switched imprints from Paw Tracks to Carpark for Across the Multiverse, whose Frankie Cosmos duet and smooth, easygoing blend recalled Andrew Gold or Stephen Bishop on a late-1970s AM playlist.

Construction of Honeymoon Suite Recording Studio alongside Pat Jones and Michael Rosen postponed his next album. Late Checkout arrived in 2020 as his first proper-studio effort, mixing familiar melancholy ballads, low-key disco, and sweet indie pop. Afterward he guested on releases by Bob Jr., Ghouljaboy, Paul Cherry, and Eyedress—the last yielding the platinum-certified “Someone Like You.” For his sixth album he set disco and soft rock aside in favor of brighter, guitar-driven pop, recruiting vocals from Jordana and a track with Pearl & the Oysters; Carpark issued What’s for Breakfast? in March 2024.