For nearly two decades, Dent May has quietly built one of the most distinctive musical catalogs among artists spawned from the Oxford scene. Since emerging from Taylor with his delightfully unconventional debut in 2009, the singer-songwriter has continually reinvented himself while maintaining the melodic craftsmanship that has become his trademark. His seventh album, The Big One, released in August through Carpark Records, may represent his most significant creative leap yet.
Although May now calls Los Angeles home, Mississippi remains firmly woven into both his identity and his songwriting. That connection will come full circle this fall when he returns to familiar stages, including Hal & Mal’s in Jackson on October 20 and Proud Larry’s in Oxford on October 21. This summer, Oxford’s End of All Music embraced the release by naming The Big One its August Record of the Month and is offering an exclusive baby-blue vinyl pressing limited to just 200 copies, available online or through the store’s Oxford and Jackson locations.
The record’s arrival also marks a turning point in May’s creative process. For years he became known for painstakingly constructing albums on his own, layering nearly every instrument himself until each song reached the polished pop sound listeners had come to expect. This time, however, he intentionally stepped away from that familiar routine.
Instead of building songs piece by piece, May assembled a group of trusted musician friends at Honeymoon Suite, the Los Angeles studio he co-owns with producer Paul Cherry. The sessions emphasized spontaneity over perfection. Songs were tracked live, often with little rehearsal, allowing the chemistry between musicians to shape the performances in real time.
For May, surrendering some creative control proved unexpectedly liberating.
That collaborative spirit also reminded him of his earliest recording experience in Mississippi, when his debut album was tracked live in a double-wide trailer in Taylor. While the technology and surroundings have changed considerably since those days, reconnecting with the excitement of musicians playing together in a room helped unlock an entirely new approach to making records.
The result is an album that feels both familiar and progressive at the same time. Listeners will recognize May’s gift for melody, but they’ll also hear a loose, warm sound colored by analog recording techniques and the energy of a live band. The influences are wide-ranging, drawing from classic ’70s singer-songwriters, orchestral pop and power-pop traditions, yet the finished product remains unmistakably Dent May.
Looking Home While Moving Forward
If the recording process changed dramatically, the emotional concerns at the center of May’s songwriting remain deeply personal.
Throughout The Big One, he reflects on aging, uncertainty, and the inevitable changes that arrive with middle age. But rather than treating those subjects with despair, the album repeatedly finds reasons for optimism, suggesting that friendship and human connection remain powerful antidotes to life’s anxieties.
The title track captures that philosophy perfectly. Borrowing its name from California’s long-feared catastrophic earthquake, The Big One transforms a familiar disaster metaphor into something much broader. Instead of focusing solely on impending catastrophe, the song explores the universal reality that everyone’s life is eventually shaken by unexpected change. It acknowledges uncertainty while encouraging listeners to keep moving forward together.
Elsewhere, “Second Wind” demonstrates May’s ability to transform an ordinary experience into something uplifting. Inspired by the simple decision to push past exhaustion and spend an evening with friends, the song gradually builds from quiet introspection into an energetic celebration. The arrangement mirrors its subject, gathering momentum as renewed optimism replaces weariness.
Another standout, “I Don’t Like You (But I Love You),” balances wit with vulnerability, while “I Remember…” revisits a past relationship through a lens of gratitude rather than regret. Even when reflecting on heartbreak, May consistently chooses appreciation over bitterness, an approach that gives the album much of its emotional warmth.
Perhaps the record’s most direct Mississippi connection arrives with “I-55,” a heartfelt tribute to returning home. Named for the interstate that links much of the state, the song explores the complicated relationship many transplanted Mississippians maintain with the place they first called home. Though May has built both a career and a life in California, he continues to view Mississippi as an essential part of who he is.
That enduring affection extends beyond his songwriting. Oxford, where he lived for a decade, remains one of the places he associates most closely with his artistic development. During those years he worked at Square Books, absorbing the creative energy that makes Oxford one of the South’s most vibrant literary and musical communities. Those experiences continue to influence his writing long after leaving town.
It’s no surprise, then, that May speaks enthusiastically about returning to Proud Larry’s, a venue where he performed many of his earliest shows. The club has become something of a home stage over the years, making the October performance more like a reunion than just another stop on a national tour.
That sense of community runs throughout The Big One. Rather than presenting music as private therapy, May approaches songwriting as a conversation with listeners, inviting them to find pieces of their own lives within his stories. It’s a philosophy reflected both in the collaborative spirit behind the recording sessions and in the songs themselves, which suggest that life’s uncertainties become easier to face when shared with others.
With seven albums now behind him, Dent May could easily have settled into a comfortable formula. Instead, The Big One finds him embracing creative risk, trusting fellow musicians and discovering fresh possibilities without abandoning the melodic sensibility that first earned him fans.
If The Big One proves anything, it’s that even after nearly twenty years of recording, Dent May is still finding new ways to surprise both himself and his audience.
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