Dale Jr is a Brooklyn-based musician, engineer, and producer. After multiple stints and a varied discography with an assortment of local indie groups, he honed his unique playing style, which draws heavily from ’60s pop artists like the Kinks and the Beach Boys, and the subsequent generation of ’90s garage and indie rock bands like Teenage Fanclub, Matthew Sweet, and Built to Spill.
Dale Jr. recently released his latest album, Deadwood, and the album opener, “Jelly Belly,” is a crunchy, palpable introduction to a fantastic LP and a refreshing young artist. You are greeted by these guitar tones that seemingly come alive, almost as if the giants in a child’s storybook emerged from the pages and stomped around the house. Your attention is immediately thrown towards Dale Jr. and his mastery of tone, as the warmth of his vocals beautifully juxtaposes the neck-breaking drums and animated guitar work. The vocals come from behind the arrangement with an indie rock flair, while the murky guitars add an air of nostalgic grunge to the performance. However, “Jelly Belly” is far more than an amalgamation of influences. The intro to Dale Jr.’s new LP is an immersive listening experience with nuances that separate the artist from the pack.
“‘Jelly Belly’ got written the same way all my songs get written; in a spontaneous daydream while I was at my day job and should’ve been doing something else. I pretty much imagined the riff and then figured out how to actually play it,” explains the artist. “I had to tune the guitar differently to get it right. I ended up using DADGAD, typically a folk and fingerstyle tuning, but in this case, perfect for my grungy indie rock song.”
