The Dmnsns Detail Their Connection As A Duo & Process Behind New Album
Intro:
San Francisco duo The Dmnsns is a group consisting of the talented Matt Falls & Mekfly, who we’ll be interviewing in today’s article. Both of their unique music styles come together perfectly on their upcoming collaborative project “I Think We Should Stay In Touch,” which is set to release in September. The album itself will contain their journey over the past 5 years since the life-changing Pandemic experience the world collectively faced. These new singles, “Found You” & “Party,” are great teasers for what to expect from this electrifying duo. Before reading our brief conversation, make sure you listen to The Dmnsns & his music today down below.
Me: What was the creative process like while making these 2 new singles? How'd you both get inspired?
Salih: The process was very organic. Nothing felt forced. We would latch onto the feeling of a record and just go with it; nothing was off limits. We both brought ideas to the table, and it started coming together. It felt very collaborative.
Matt: It was the pandemic, and I was renting a little apartment in Oakland, so I wouldn't get my family sick because I was working with COVID-19 patients. It just sort of turned into the unofficial beat lab. We just started sharing beats, one thing led to another, and we just rolled with it. He would show me something and I'd say, "Send me that, I have an idea," and he would do the same for me. I honestly didn't think we were going to do another album, but the project started to take form, take on a little personality, and we just said, "We have to release this." It took years to finally put all the pieces together, but it all came together in the end.
That’s amazing! I’m happy everything worked out in the end. Did you guys draw inspiration from any specific genres or artists during this time?
Salih: I do feel like it was very organic. If we liked the sound, we would go for it. Yes, you can tell that there are certain influences in certain areas, but we didn't really try to go for any specific sound; it was a pretty free-flow project.
Matt: I agree, we definitely didn't try to do anything specific. I guess I figured that if we liked it, other people would hopefully like it too. Honestly, I got a ton of inspiration from Salih. We come from very different musical backgrounds, so collaborating with him has been a learning experience for me from the start. I've learned so much from him. Pretty quickly, we started to develop this trust in each other - sometimes he would show me something, or have some idea that was very rap or very hip hop, and I couldn't see how it was going to work right away. But I would just go with it, and eventually I would realize, "dang, what a great idea. I would have never thought of that." After a while, we just developed this philosophy of "no bad ideas." I think that worked out to our advantage for sure.
Nice! And, how would you both describe your current individual styles of music?
Salih: I was listening to my old stuff the other day, the new stuff is a more polished version of who I've always been, but with much more grown themes. I've noticed I can still have fun on songs, but I've been trying to be more raw and open. Like these are my perspectives, this is what I'm thinking. Even when I'm on a song that's fun and carefree, something real is just going to come out from me.
Matt: I'm almost the exact opposite. I think my default is to go way too serious, like musical over-sharing. I'm the same way, like if I try working on a song that's just pure fun, some serious themes are just going to seep through. So I've almost been trying to avoid being too serious and just make carefree music, knowing full well that the end result is just going to have some of my soul in it. That way, I can be real and open, but avoid sounding preachy or overly dramatic.
What kinds of themes or messages do you hope listeners take away from both of today’s tracks?
Salih: Even from the first project, I feel like over the years, the way the album hits me has changed. We talk about the growth and fading of friendships, the passage of time, change, and appreciating what's passed. I think of the first album as being a coming-of-age album, but this project is more of trying to understand the world in this new adulthood. Trying to take grasp of those moments because you don't know how long they'll last.
Matt: Definitely. The whole album feels like when you're trying to enjoy something good while you have it, but it's impossible to fully appreciate it until it's gone. The last song is "Summer's Over," and I think that ties up the album nicely.
Additionally, what would you say was the most challenging part of the recording process?
Salih: Consistency, I'll be honest with you. I do think it worked out for this project, though, because every time we would revisit it, I felt like something had been going on in my life that was related to whatever theme was in the song. I had been doing something in my life to draw inspiration from. So the project happened naturally that way; it wasn't forced.
Matt: It took forever. We got 90% of the work done in like three months. Then, because of our jobs, we ended up on opposite sides of the country, plus it was the pandemic, and it was just hard to finish. But I think all of the circumstances surrounding the creation of this album seeped their way into the music, and it sounds a little more introspective because of it. We really did take our sweet time with it, and I think it's a more polished project for it.
Now, where do both of your stage names originate from?
Matt: Well, my stage name is literally just my name, so not so much to say there. With the dimensions, it just felt like a cool, wacky name. The core philosophy of the music we were making was "anything goes, anything is possible, there are no bad ideas," so I felt like the dimensions kind of fit that idea. We stylized it as The DMNSNS.
Salih: I stole it from my brother's Instagram handle. It was something like "Mcfly" and I just said "yep, I'm stealing it."
Haha, that’s hilarious! Before we wrap up, do you have any upcoming releases or plans that you're comfortable sharing with the readers?
Salih: I think we should start the next one soon! Even if it's just an EP or something, let's just be bombastic, go wild with the sound, try new things, keep mixing genres. I've got my own project coming up as well.
Matt: I'm working on my own music as well. I'm trying some electronic music, house, dance, that kind of thing. I wanted to do something different, and it sounded like a fun challenge. I've been pretty inspired by the DMNSNS project in terms of genre bending, so I'm hoping to bring some of that to it. You can hear the early stages of my electro phase in some of the DMNSNS songs. But yeah, I honestly feel like when I'm making music with Salih, I'm growing and learning as a musician, so any chance we get to collaborate, I'm taking it.
And finally, in your own words, why should a new listener check out “Found You” & “Party” today?
Matt: If you like it, you should listen to it. I like to think that we've got something a little different going on. A lot of our songs are pretty contemplative and give you something to think about. We tried very hard to make sure the whole album had something interesting at every turn. There are little easter eggs, motifs, call-backs, that kind of thing, all throughout the album, so there's a lot to discover.
Salih: I think right now more than ever, art is playing a really integral role in keeping a lot of people's sanity, and as much as we need music that is fun and carefree, there is a space for real, emotive art that comes from somewhere genuine. Music heals the soul.
