Release Date: June 18, 2021 Genre: Alt. Rock, Indie Pop, Alt. Hip-Hop Label: Hopeless Records Houston-born, Los Angeles-based musician DE'WAYNE will release his much-anticipated debut album, STAINS, through Hopeless Records on June 18th. DE'WAYNE was first turned on to music at the age of twelve when he got his first lead song at his local church. Shortly after, he was writing his own tracks, but ultimately he didn't find anything he wrote was good enough until his move to Los Angeles seven years later. The songs on STAINS were produced by a few different names that all work with a varying list of genres and brought unique aspects to the writing and recording of DE'WAYNE's debut album. The music producers on STAINS include Micah Jasper (Thomston), Justin Lucas (Khalid, Anthony Russo, Taemin, EXO), and Drew Fulk, also known as WZRD BLD (Motionless In White, Bad Wolves, Cane Hill). In the follow-up to his 2017 EP, Don't Be Afraid, DE'WAYNE delved into writing an album with boundless possibilities with genres. The final result on the eleven tracks on STAINS led him to move from an indie pop/hip-hop sound into bringing alternative rock and pop-punk into the mix. A decision that paid off well for the rising artist. The bulk of the album's music leans in an alternative rock direction with tinges of pop-punk and indie-pop influence. It also features plenty of irresistible sing-a-long choruses and a unique blend of sounds that will have any venue DE'WAYNE will soon be performing in packed to the brim with eager fans for his well-known high intensity live shows. DE'WAYNE's album opens with one of the most important tracks on the album, "National Anthem." Chock full of palm-muted guitar harmonics and heart-pounding drums hits, the song displays the first taste of DE'WAYNE's genre-free boundaries with his songwriting. The tune itself represents the America DE'WAYNE has unfortunately always experienced. He originally wrote the track in 2019 and performed it across the United States, where he witnessed numerous crowds made of people of all different types raging to the track in unity, but shortly after a certain -and sadly a recurring- incident in Minneapolis, the song got a premature release. The following track, "Radio-Active," leans a little more into the field of pop than the previous track, but so little it's nearly noticeable. I didn't catch it until after several listens. Not to mention, it features an irresistible chorus that's still burrowed deep in my head. Lyrically, "Radio-Active" is about where DE'WAYNE wants to get a musician. He's expressing his musical dreams with a song for all to hear.
Another single off the album is "I Know Something." A track that tackles "a big change." Something DE'WAYNE is doing with his debut record -more so his sound. The song also displays his newfound rock songwriting style. The track leans heavily on the use of electric guitars and utilizing many different sounds a guitar can produce. Following down the tracklist, we have the incredibly catchy song, "Walking To Work." In the song, DE'WAYNE talks about his beginnings when he used to walk four miles to and from work each day and how his musical dreams of having the chance to have people hearing his music were running through his mind during these long walks. The album's title track is a story of triumph. Having been turned away by several labels because they didn't understand DE'WAYNE or didn't know where he would fit within their artists, he eventually landed on Hopeless Records. It fueled the album's direction in many ways. He explains in the track's lyrics his experiences within the alternative and rock scene. The album also features two acoustic guitar-focused ballads, "Land of Snakes" and the penultimate track, "Jungle," which displays DE'WAYNE's sombre, heartfelt songwriting abilities and encapsulates his feelings with ease. A sure favourite tune on STAINS is the pop-punk number "Perfume." The single was both co-written and features Waterpark's frontman Awsten Knight and lyrically tackles a previous romantic relationship of DE'WAYNE's. Be sure to pre-save or preorder STAINS, both physically and digitally here, to get acquainted with the album's songs, and learn the words before DE'WAYNE is packing venue rooms on tour sooner rather than later.
