New Jersey indie rockers unveil infectious, hooky new single
Earlier this year, Asbury Park’s pre-eminent indie rockers Dentist emerged out of the fog of the pandemic with new single “Don’t Let Me Catch You.” Now, the trio is back with “Let Me Let Go.”
Paired with an animated music video by Mat Hale, “Let Me Let Go” underscores what Dentist does best: infectious hooks, driving bass and loud guitars. As with “Don’t Let Me Catch You,” the latest from the group dabbles in some darker themes detailed in an interview below.
Look for “Let Me Let Go” out on all streamers tomorrow here, and keep a close eye on their show calendar so you can bop your head to this one IRL soon.
What’s the story behind “Let Me Let Go”? How did it come to be?
Emily: I often find myself writing about heartbreak I can’t control because it is something that just sticks with me. This time around though I wanted to give it the twist of, yes, this hurts but you made this separation so much easier from just the lack of being able to tolerate the ongoing abuse and pain that resulted from this particular relationship. So, in fact you did finally let me, let go.
The music video seems to deal with themes of isolation and anxiety. Did the pandemic have something to do with it and how have you been coping since last year?
Emily: I think everyone experienced those exact feelings and it will show up in art whether its purposeful or not for years to come. People will also feel it in everything. It’s going to take time to mentally, fully recover from this pandemic. I’m not completely positive I’ve been coping at all.
Is this your first time working with animation? How did you end up going this route for the video?
Emily: We have yet to have an animated video and it just seemed like the perfect timing to give it a shot. The animator Mat Hale did a great job catching the feeling of the song.
The release of “Let Me Let Go” is also timed with a collaboration you’ve embarked on with a brewery. Tell us more about that.
Justin: We wanted to make each of our releases during this time special in some way since we haven’t been able to promote our new music the traditional way of playing shows and touring. Collaborating with Last Wave was a way to get the word out about a brewery we really love while also hopefully exposing new people to our music that wouldn’t hear it otherwise in the same way two bands with different audiences can benefit from playing a show together. It is also awesome just to see our single artwork on a beer can!
As the world continues to open back up ever so slightly, any plans for shows coming up?
Matt: We’re hoping to begin playing shows by the end of the summer and hopefully have that pick up even more as we get into the fall. We see ourselves going on our next tour in 2022. We honestly can’t wait to play shows, but want it to feel right before we really dive back in.
