More about: Dents

Pete Denton - also known by his solo moniker Dents and best-known for his turn as bassist in The Kooks - is debuting his solo career this week with a charity Christmas single. ‘Christmas for Losers’ is a bell-laden ballad that’ll be donating its proceeds to single parent support charity Gingerbread. For Pete, who had been “jotting bits and bobs down for myself” for years, it’s the perfect opportunity to debut as a solo artist.

“I’m in the swing of it now,” he tells us, “so I plan on keeping in the rhythm of things and putting new music out throughout 2021.” The move is an exciting one for the musician, who parted ways from The Kooks in 2018, partly to spend more time with his wife Portia and two kids Dylan and Rudy. “In regards to my previous work, it’s all a distant memory for me these days. I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he says, “I’m really enjoying writing and quality family time.”

That’s not to say it’s always simple. “Kids are brutally honest,” Pete laughs, “my eldest has had me close to tears on occasion!” ‘Christmas For Losers’ got the Denton family seal of approval though: “[Dylan] was immediately into this one.” Portia too, is likely to be a fan. The model and mother has been getting festive on her Instagram since mid-November. “My wife calls me Scrooge!” Pete says, “there’s festive and there’s festive but it’s taking the piss how early they start putting trees up these days.” He digresses: “I suppose a bit of early Christmas spirit this year ain’t a bad thing.”

‘Christmas for Losers’ then, is a single borne from a family man and a festive agnostic. The song is decorated by the vocals of Lucy Taylor, a family friend who lives in Sydney and has written songs for the likes of Dua Lipa - among them, the platinum-selling ‘Be The One’. “She’s a crazy talented girl,” Pete says.

The pair have lent their musical talents to the single for a good cause: Gingerbread, a charity that provides “support, advice and community for single parents.” “It really hit me during the first shit storm lockdown how difficult some people must be having it, but I got thinking about single parents particularly,” Pete muses, “locked away, maybe no garden, hit hard financially and I know too well how hard it can be when you’ve got screaming kids to entertain.”

It’s also a charity that’s close to home for the musician. “I was brought up primarily by my mother. She had four jobs just to pay the babysitter [and] definitely felt the financial strain on a daily basis. I had an understanding of how it was - which made it even worse.” A father himself and a child of a single parent, Pete is uniquely positioned to translate his empathy and his sympathy into a charity single.

It’s a powerful statement to begin his solo career with a festive single that’s taking care of others, but it’s by no means the end for Dents. It is in fact, only the beginning. “I’m just gonna keep writing my ass off and pumping out the tunes,” Pete reveals, “I’m aiming for one a month until November - then will whack the Xmas tune out again I suppose,” he laughs.

Though he’s joshing, it’s not hard to imagine this song coming out again year after year: the sweet duet will slot neatly into any ‘Indie Christmas’ playlist, in part for it’s liberal use of sparkle and bells. “I’d have bells in everything if I could,” Pete says, “but gotta use that shit sparingly…unlike Noddy I’m quite happy it’s not Christmas everyday.”

Purchase ‘Christmas for Losers’ to support Gingerbread Charity here.

More about: Dents