Just in time for summer to kick into full gear, DENM has released his debut album, Slum Beach Denny, via Ineffable Records. Featuring singles like “My Wave,” “Fallin’,” and “Califas,” the project is the perfect soundtrack for warm afternoons, whether you’re hitting the beach or just your backyard.
Songs like “My Wave” truly set the scene for the record, insisting “it’s summer every day” over an instrumental that blends reggae, rock, and hip-hop. Meanwhile, features from artists Jared Watson of Dirty Heads, Casey Veggies, JAG, Sword Beach, GDSN, The Patten, and Darnell Williams combine different sounds while making the album feel like a fun meetup with friends.
“It’s just the sounds you hear growing up around here,” DENM tells TREMG of the genre fusion. “I’d say it’s like Sublime ‘cause they weren’t just reggae, they lived and breathed the culture and were punk and hip-hop and ska, and just wild songs that just embodied where they were from. That’s all I tapped into. Just capturing and creating my own version of the sounds from the beautiful cultural melting pot of SoCal.”
Even while drawing from Sublime and his home of South California, there’s a unique, fresh perspective that only DENM can offer. He manages to touch on all kinds of topics, including individuality on “Find Your Own Way,” finding love on “Fallin’,” and unhealthy coping mechanisms on the JAG-assisted “Say a Prayer.”
DENM says he could discuss heavier experiences while keeping the project lighthearted thanks to “a whole lifetime of finding that balance. How do you take the real shit in life and talk about it in a way that’s accessible versus alienating?”
The album also balances these darker moments with the “carpe diem” anthems “Everyday’s the Weekend” and “Life’s 2 Short,” which encourage the listener to live the life they want and keep moving forward through tough times – “writing songs with a positive mental attitude helps me keep my own head above water,” DENM explains.
After listening to this record, you’ll find it hard not to feel that positivity and run with it. It’s an album that will have you craving more than one listen and quoting DENM’s excitement about the project, “Slum Beach Denny to the universe!”
You can find Slum Beach Denny on your favorite streaming services now! You can also connect with DENM on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and if you’re in Southern California, you can swing by the album release party this Sunday at Huntington Beach’s SeaLegs At the Beach.
