Dende - Dende

Dende

Dende
self-released; 2015

3.4 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

Dende is a band comprised of Cameron McBroom (guitar/vocals), Joseph Sullivan (bass) and Reginald Watson (drums). The band has been playing since high school and from some of the pictures I have seen they probably graduated in the not to distant past. The band released a self-titled complete DIY five-song EP Dende that while far from perfect is a mighty impressive showing from the young musicians. 

In a musical climate where an ample amount of young musicians are working on EDM it’s gratifying to hear a bit of jazz in the mix. This isn't straight jazz by any stretch of the imagination as they fuse in aspects of rock and experimental. It’s an enticing combination that they haven’t perfected yet but I could see them getting at in the next couple of years.

First up is “Optimistic” which starts with jazz chords rather than major and minor. McBroom sounds relaxed when he sings and doesn’t strain on his delivery. It sounds great and the song gets more intense when the chords get more distortion on them. The third quarter of the song displays the band loosely bringing together a walking bass line with  guitar chords and slick drumming. The song could have benefited from proper compression techniques but overall it wasn’t terribly noticeable.

Next up is “Of Course” which displays a different vocal style from McBroom who almost scats during the verse. The drums make use of the toms and the bass provides the foundation. McBroom’s lyrics reflect the sentiment of the title on “Careless Monotony.” He sings, “why does it still matter in the end in the end nothing’s wrong” and “watch the days go by.” The band closes with “The Tree” and “Translucent” which were both solid songs and followed a similar vibe to the previous tracks.

Dende certainly has my attention. The band recorded this themselves and it certainly was not bad but it wasn’t competitive with a professional recording. Hopefully the band can get befriend an engineer or record in a studio because they have talent.  

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