Exclusive Premiere: Patrick Dennis, ‘Kissing the Beast’

Hailing from Los Angeles, Patrick Dennis -- of Wirepony and Truckee Brothers fame -- describes his music as "a rock and roll alternative to the indie in my punk country guts." Gearing up for the release of his latest album, Fürst in the Dirt, on June 19 via Wharfchild Recording Co., Dennis definitely lives up to that description. Today (March 26), Diffuser is ecstatic to give you a taste of what's to come with the new record; check out his brand new music video for album opener "Kissing the Beast" above.

"Do you have a beast that you just can't shake? Lover, chemical, commerce, your Facebook, maybe even your own self-doubt. Well, that was the starting point for this song," Dennis explains to us about "Kissing the Beast." "It was the last song that we recorded and I had the music but just couldn't connect with the words that I'd written."

How did Dennis overcome that obstacle? "Justin Collins and I decided to switch it up, collaborate on the lyric and then sing it together," he says. "That's us belting it out, face-to-face, on the first take."

The creation of the song -- and really, the entire record -- centered around a seemingly simple question: When do you let go of something that's become toxic? "It infects the heart and the mind and can make you want to lay down on the train tracks and just let go if you hang on too long," Dennis remarks. "That's how my journey getting to this record started. One night in Las Cruces, New Mexico, when I didn't know if I'd ever make another record, I had to begin asking myself that question. Am I willing and aware enough to shake my own beast?"

As for the video, Dennis and his band -- comprised of Cosmic Thug's Adam Landry, Deer Tick's Rob Crowell and Collins of Diamond Rugs -- "tumbled down into the basement" of the East Nashville home of the Smoking Flowers. "Once I got all those burning lights down there it was hotter and greasier than spicy chicken on the Fourth of July," he recalls. "Plus, the two temperamental Super8 film cameras kept flipping out on us, making it just as ragged and spontaneous as when the song was recorded ... exactly what I was going for."

And if you need any recommendations on how to listen to this song (and the entire album for that matter), take Dennis' advice: "I personally think it's best just blasting from the speakers like great punk rock should. After all, it's only rock and roll ... not Carl Jung."

Fürst in the Dirt is set for release on June 19 on CD and digital formats, as well as a limited pink vinyl edition. You can pre-order the record here; as far as live shows go, Dennis says they're coming, so you better "polish your pearls."