Although the opening track on indie pop artist Dent May’s new album, Across the Multiverse, is darkly titled “Hello Cruel World,” his soaring melodies, danceable beats, and maximalist orchestral arrangements imbue a sense of optimism. In the same vein, vinyl deejay collective and record label Last Resort Forever is aiming to give us a reason to dance into 2019 with its Break-FEST all-ages music festival at Breakfast Culture Club.
May will headline the January 19 event as part of his tour and will be joined by a number of Santa Barbara–area artists, including Emily Wryn and Moon Diver. Last Resort Forever will be selling its S.B. compilation cassette, titled Hot Singles in Your Area Vol. 1, which features Santa Barbara talents, such as Uncle Uncle. Last Resort Forever’s Ruben Zarate wanted to start the year with a big community event and is friends with May. “People who came there just to see him will see all these local bands,” Zarate said. Eager to spread the communal vibes, May chatted with the Santa Barbara Independent in advance of the fest.
You moved from Oxford, Mississippi, to Los Angeles a few years ago. How are you enjoying the city? Has living there impacted your songwriting? I’m absolutely in love with living here. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly how Los Angeles has impacted my music, because even in Mississippi I was making sunshiny pop that probably came across as more West Coast than Southern. There’s a tradition of moving to California for self-improvement, so everyone’s pretty nice. And there happen to be a lot of my favorite people living here.