DENM - ALRIGHT

DENM reminds us that everything's going to be okay on "Alright"!

DENM - ALRIGHT

It's important for the media we engage with to comment on the world we're living in. After all, music, movies, films, books, fashion shouldn't just be feel-good escapism. "If you're not a part of the solution, you're part of the problem," is a sentiment we've all taken to heart.

Still, there's only so much joyless, preachy, political art one can absorb. We've been experiencing an avalanche of dense, wordy political music in recent years, as our world slides towards flaming wreckage. There's been no shortage of "important records," in recent years, but we don't always turn to our Pop Music to read uber-serious political and economic tracts.

After a while, we reach activist fatigue. It becomes overwhelming, more bad news in a never-ending stream of negative headlines and shrieking outrage. Sometimes we just need to hear everything's going to be okay.

"Alright" is the newest single DENM. He returns with some of his patented SoCal positivity, laying out a litany of things to be grateful for, even as the world burns in the background.

This is no sunshiney Kumbuya singalong, though. "Alright" won't give you diabetes, no matter how many times you listen. DENM's low-key rapping over a low-slung, laidback breakbeat brings to mind vintage Sublime, with a similar blend of laidback hiphop with a hint of punk rock attitude. 

"Alright" reminds you to remember all the good things you have in your life, even when there's a lot of darkness. It's a beautiful, weird world we're living in. We Are: The Guard is so, so honored to help bring this one to light, in conjunction with Rock Mafia records.

Remember to turn your face to the brightness, to help deal with the shadows.

J. Simpson occupies the intersection between criticism, creativity, and academia. Based out of Portland, Or., he is the author of Forestpunk, an online journal/brand studying the traces of horror, supernatural, and the occult through music, fashion and culture. He plays in the dreamfolk band Meta-Pinnacle with his partner Lily H. Valentine, with whom he also co-founded Bitstar Productions, a visual arts collective focused on elevating Pop Culture to High Art.