Dent May

Born in Jackson, Mississippi, James Dent May Jr. has been recording since the late 2000s under the name Dent May, creating music that sits between psychedelic pop, synthpop, indie rock and new wave, with a clear taste for supple melodies and retro-tinged arrangements. After his first self-produced record, A Brush With Velvet (2007), Dent May drew attention with The Good Feeling Music of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele (2009), an album still rooted in light, acoustic songwriting. He gradually broadened his palette on Do Things (2012) and Warm Blanket (2013), where keyboards, pop textures and more expansive writing took a larger role. A former member of Mississippi power-pop group The Rockwells, he also co-founded the Cats Purring collective in Oxford and remains an active figure in that scene. His trajectory moved toward a more synthetic, nocturnal pop on Across the Multiverse (2017), which includes a track shared with Frankie Cosmos, followed by Late Checkout (2020) and What’s for Breakfast? (2024). Based in Los Angeles, Dent May also performed at All Tomorrow’s Parties in 2011, at an edition curated by Animal Collective.