“Embrace the shadows
for they are all part of the light”

‘Previously writing with South African legend Ramsay Mackay under the moniker ‘The Fumes of Mars,’ Dennis has just released his first solo album, ‘Remember’ and what a big bold breath of fresh air it is. From beginning (“Superman”) to end (“I Would Only Be A Martyr for You”), the stories, the tales, are flush with bits of Springsteen and Byrne, filled with valor and verve.  Of Geldof, of (Mitch) Ryder, of (Roger) Waters and Bono, the sleigh of this 24-carat diamond rushes forth like a modern-day Summer of Soul.

Recorded at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios in England, and remotely with producer Norman Arnold utilizing Grammy-nominated musicians in Los Angeles, the album is packed with powerful emotion and an underlying Celtic authenticity and authority. It is a blast of rock with fragments of folk, Americana with a British coat.’

Dennis explores lyrical themes about joy and pain. “Whilst experiencing one you can be aware of the other. Two strong emotions overlapping. Sometimes via memory, sometimes an imagined future. About as close to time travel as we are ever likely to experience.” Songs like ‘Vanessa’, about lost souls both living and dead, are emotionally dark. Yet the instrumentation has an upbeat cadence harking back to the lightheartedness of doo-wop, reflecting this duality of emotion. The album, ‘Remember’, along with its companion piece, ‘Embers’, covers the fragmented nature of time, emotion, love and loss. The lyrics are often abstract. Dreamlike. Flitting between images. The songs vary greatly in feel which makes the listening experience a journey of surprise, both lyrically and sonically.