DE'WAYNE - STAINS
Hailing from Texas and now taking Los Angeles by storm, new Hopeless Records signee DE’WAYNE isn’t messing around with the release of his debut album, Stains.
Hailing from Texas and now taking Los Angeles by storm, new Hopeless Records signee De’Wayne Jackson (stylised as DE’WAYNE) isn’t messing around with the release of his debut album, Stains. Having teased songs from the album before, it’s evident that Jackson is as excited for this release as fans are.
Starting off with a bang, Stains begins with ‘National Anthem’, a song he had performed in years prior during support slots on tours. Captivating the experience Jackson faces in life growing up in America, the song continues the same hyped up beat as the track progresses. The ending of the track helps to raise excitement for the rest of the album, and give listeners an idea of what Jackson is about.
‘Radio-Active’ is next. Having been released as a single in 2020 and receiving mass praise from fans, the single highlights expectations of artists that seem to get big, and how different he is. He highlights that he doesn’t want to change for anyone and will continue to be the artist he is and always has been.
Shredding light on the struggles he faced in the early years of his career, ‘Walking To Work’ discusses the literal story of DE’WAYNE walking to work every day when he first moved to LA so he could save up money to pursue his dream. Needless to say, the hard work has paid off.
‘Land Of Snakes’ provides a different aspect of DE’WAYNE that we haven’t seen on the album yet, the lyrics speaking of people telling Jackson things that may get his hopes down, but despite everything, rising to chase his dreams, and pursue his music which he was passionate about. The song speaks of people telling you to change yourself, but not wanting to change and wanting to be who you are, regardless of what others want you to be.
‘Money’ also has a slightly slower beginning as Dewayne explains struggles he has had in the past and how they made him into what he is now. He sings about having to borrow money from various family members and how he grew from it and used the opportunities given to him to chase his dream, hoping his family is proud of him.
Title track, ‘Stains’ brings back the high energy with incredible beats. Jackson compares himself to other big names within the industry and expresses dreams he has for his future including winning a grammy and still having time for his friends.
Another highly praised single from the album is ‘Perfume’ featuring Awsten Knight of Waterparks. The upbeat track and accompanying music video showcases the duo’s fun-filled friendship while discussing a previous relationship and how they both have changed over the years.
Bringing in an acoustic track with ‘Jungle’, DE’WAYNE speaks again about troubles he faced, however how desperate he was to chase his dreams. He sings the line “look how far we’ve come and look how far we’ll go”. He’s definitely proud of where he’s come and so are his many listeners.
The album ends with “Me Vs. You” which is an exciting track. Guitars, drums and bass help to create an adrenaline filled listening experience and is perfectly placed within the album. Throughout this album, DE’WAYNE expresses experiences he has had that have pushed him back, but would not stop him from following the dreams he was so destined to chase.
It’s evident that so much thought and hard work was put into the debut album and the Circle (as DE”WAYNE calls his fanbase) is surely getting bigger and bigger. It’s exciting to think of what he may do next. Catch the Stains livestream show on June 26th via Veeps to see Stains in full, and seeing him live in action is not something you’ll want to miss out on.
Alex Davidson
★★★★★