Gene Dante tells a little ‘L.I.E. (Do You Wanna)’
Out September 10, the third 'DL/UX' single is a theatrical call for self-protection and preservation
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Photo Credit: The Secret Bureau of Art & Design
PRE-ORDER: Gene Dante’s ‘DL/UX’ double vinyl LP via H1 Massive
BOSTON, MA [September 10, 2021] -- In the age of the lie, Gene Dante remains the truth. But that won’t stop the glam rock aesthete from commanding the power of the fib -- its impact both innocent and incendiary -- in his swirling new single “L.I.E. (Do You Wanna)”, set for release on Friday, September 10. It’s the third single from Dante’s explosive new album, this October’s DL/UX., following summertime scorcher “She’s Outside” and last months cruising “High Time,” a favorite of The Rodney Bingenheimer Show on SiriusXM’s Underground Garage.
“‘L.I.E.’ is about the things we say to appear stronger, and not allow anyone to know the power others may have over us,” Dante says. “It can be anyone who’s no longer in our life: An ex-lover, a former adversary, someone who died, etc. The initialistic title is borrowed from the brilliant film of the same name.”
We all have a person in our lives who has deceived and conquered, and required our own brand of self-care to act as a shield in the battlefield of relationships. Now Dante is channeling that universal experience into a song that’s theatrical in its sweeping nature, but still razor sharp to cut through the bullshit. Like most things, inspiration lies not far from the veil of deception -- and the mask we wear to protect ourselves in the process.
“I was thinking about how we all have at least one person who is our kryptonite -- making us weak or powerless -- and when they are no good for us, how do we survive?” Dante asks. “What do we tell ourselves, the people around us, that person? ...confess? ...tell them where to hit? ...how to hurt us? Of course we don’t. We lie.”
Part catharsis, part purge of frustrations, “L.I.E.” is a journey for Dante to free himself and explore more dangerous and possibly unflattering subjects on a path to personal redemption. And it runs along the seam of a common thread of his forthcoming DL/UX album, where the artist, actor, and songwriter has embarked on a journey to discover his true self -- and releasing the bad seeds along the way.
It’s a companion piece to “High Time,” a glammed out number all about showing the selfish folk the door, and continues a fiery line of emerging from the ashes of society’s shortcomings set forth on debut DL/UX single “She’s Outside.” And like most journeys, the lotion to soothe a spirited burn from another began with a riff.
“There can absolutely be value in a lie,” admits Dante. “Sometimes we lie with the best intentions: to protect ourselves, keep the peace, buy some time, open a door, spare someone’s feelings. Is deception necessarily devious? I compiled a list of the things we say to protect ourselves; words said to me so I’d get over something; words maybe *I’ve* said to protect myself. I knew there was a song here… and it made me angry. So I strapped on a guitar, set the metronome to a high BPM, and started jamming. The verse riff came first; very tension-filled. From there it was easy to create the refrain as a release. The tension was in asking the questions ‘will a lie help?’ The release was in the lies themselves… and how easily they flowed.”
Sometimes, the lie is the only way to maintain the truth about yourself.
Please direct press inquiries to Gene Dante at info@genedante.com or Michael Marotta at michael@publisist.co.
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Gene Dante & The Future Starlets are:
Gene Dante: Lead Vocals, Guitar
Jim Collins: Bass, Harmony Vocals
Scott Patalano: Guitar
Tamora Gooding: Drums
Erik Andersen: Guitar, Keys, Harmony Vocals
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Gene Dante ‘DL/UX’ press photo:
Photo Credit: The Secret Bureau of Art & Design
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‘L.I.E. (Do You Wanna)’ production credits:
Recorded, engineered, produced, mixed, and mastered by John Eye at Beach House Studios, except where some drums were recorded at Barefoot Studios or The Record Co.
Assistant Engineers: Chris Lynch, Bradley Robertson, Taylor Barefoot, Alison Ma, Charlie Ji.
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Gene Dante’s ‘DL/UX’ LP: Everywhere October 15, 2021
Gene Dante and the Future Starlets have made a career out of picking glitter from the gutter and wearing it to their black-tie affairs. Shuffling down the sordid streets of Boston, the indie rock rat pack travel shoulder-to-shoulder with the deviants and debutantes about town, stepping out to the beat of their own banged-up drum kit.
In 2021, their waltz kicks down the door to DL/UX, the group’s forthcoming full-length album, due out 2021. The 15-track record pulls back the velvet curtain on a modern speakeasy, the fabrication of lead singer Gene Dante. But little beyond the concept itself is made-up; beneath the group’s jewel-encrusted facade are the lyrics that Dante writes -- and later, croons -- entirely captured from his own experiences. Elegance, debauchery, and sweaty tales from New York and Los Angeles stages come perfectly preserved in the headspace of DL/UX, wrapped up in risqué realism.
“It crashes through the wall of pop,” Dante explains. And once that wall’s in pieces, DL/UX takes the sledgehammer to all of mainstream music’s formalities.
DL/UX builds upon the group’s past successes, which began with their previous opus The Romantic Lead, released via Omnirox Entertainment. Produced by Peter Lubin, the record’s single "A Madness To His Method'' made its way into rotation at MTV's LOGO Network. Follow-up single "The Love Letter Is Dead" peaked at number 2 on local radio airplay charts, and remained on the charts for 16 consecutive months. Most recently, Gene Dante nabbed a Boston Music Award nomination for “Best Male Vocalist'' (now simply titled “Vocalist of the Year”) in 2014.
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The music of Gene Dante’s has been heard and featured on:
The Rodney Bingenheimer Show on SiriusXM’s Underground Garage, Boston Emissions with Anngelle Wood, Bay State Rock, Bumblebee Radio, WZBC’s Fuzzed Out, Blood Makes Noise, Christian’s Cosmic Corner on Mark Skin Radio, Worcester Magazine, Drop The Spotlight, Radio Candy Indie Show, Your First Listen on KNNZ Fargo, Everything You Know Is Wrong on Salem State Radio, Rising With Skybar on WMFO Tufts University, Lonely Oak Radio, Ricky’s Daily Bangers, Tinnitist, Volatile Weekly, and other fine radio stations, blogs, and programs.
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Media praise for Gene Dante:
“[‘She’s Outside’ is] a gothy Brit-rock dance tune with driving synth and excited screams... a fun, energetic track.” _Blood Makes Noise
“This is a beauty.” _Bay State Rock
“Boston's favorite glam dynamo.” _Boston Phoenix
“With ‘She’s Outside,’ Gene Dante and the Future Starlets delivers a blistering, unrepentant rocker of a song. It's driven by wildfire guitars... a thick wall of sound that you can hear revving in the song;’s first few notes, and which then soars at a breakneck pace until the song's tire-squeal conclusion.” _Worcester Magazine
“When sex gets drunk, sex calls up Gene Dante. If you maintain eye contact with Gene Dante for longer than 15 seconds, you will become pregnant. Period. If Gene Dante’s erection persists for longer than four hours, that’s called a Tuesday. Gene Dante has been known to sweat entire olives. Gene Dante doesn’t apply eyeshadow to his eyes—he applies eyes to his shadow.” _DigBoston
“Dante is an anomaly in Boston's music scene: an artist who has refused to pigeonhole his talents. Yes, he's a singer -- and quite a good one, with a laconic croon reminiscent of Bryan Ferry and Lou Reed -- who fronts a glam-rock band called Gene Dante & The Future Starlets. And yes, he's an actor, but he's never defined himself strictly as one or the other.” _Boston Globe
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Press Contact: Gene Dante at info@genedante.com or Michael Marotta at michael@publisist.co.
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