I’ve written a bit about the indie electro pop act DGTL CLR over the past few years and as you may recall, the project, which initially began as a the music project of a mysterious Southern California-based electronic music production and artist duo; however, the cloak of mystery has been gently pulled off, revealing its creative mastermind, the San Diego-born, Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Devereaux Jennings.
Since I’ve last written about Jennings and DGTL CTL, the act has developed a reputation for specializing in a relatively new subgenre of electro pop next wave, which generally features a mix of vaporwave synths, electronic dance beats and organic instrumentation — i,e. guitars, saxophone and the like; but Jennings’ take finds him meshing elements of house music and indie rock to the mix, essentially adding a live aspect to the club. Interestingly, his latest single, the swaggering and glitchy banger “Carry On” is centered around a speak-sing vocal delivery reminiscent of Butthole Surfers, Cake, and Soul Coughing, industrial clang and clatter, tweeter and woofer rocking beats to create a sound that’s one part industrial electro pop, one part hip-hop and one part spoken word — all while focusing on an uplifting message to the listener. And while being a bold, new sonic direction for the JOVM mainstay, the new single manages to retain his uncanny ability to mesh avant-garde sounds within radio friendly pop bangers.
“‘Carry On’ is a blend of electronic, and indie. Taking that butthole surfer vibe and mixing it with some low dance bass,” Devereaux Jennings explained in an email to me. “The lyrics just plopped out, seeing as I did them on one take as improv about some shit I was going through. I have always felt like this outsider trying to do what I love and be who I feel I am, but always feeling like I am failing or just a lost cause. But we fail, we lose, we fuck up sometimes and we have to carry on. You are the only person that has the power to make something happen, no matter what holes or hills you face. The moment you give up, is the moment your dream dies. Don’t question your failures, learn from them and grow. Carry On…”