originally published: 07/26/2023
Photo by Javi Perez
NYC native Des Rocs has released “I Am The Lightning,” the third song to be pulled from his forthcoming sophomore album Dream Machine out August 25 via Sumerian Records. Produced by Alain Johannes (Queens of the Stone Age, Them Crooked Vultures, PJ Harvey), Matt Wallace (Faith No More, Maroon 5) and Des Rocs mastermind Danny Rocco, Dream Machine plays like a bolt of energy coursing through the glory days of rock, metal, and grunge, united within his signature “bedroom arena rock” sound.
About the new song, Danny Rocco explains: “‘I Am The Lightning’ was born from a desire to perform music that is both bone-shattering & instilled with a deeper message. I live on tour driving from one city to another, and I’ve come to view the journey of life as one long road trip – a series of winding roads connected by important events. ‘I Am The Lightning’ is the soundtrack to this chaotic journey down the highway of life.”
Recently, Des Rocs released the official video for “Nowhere Kid,” which followed the release of his “thrilling new single” (Consequence of Sound) “Never Ending Moment,” which has been streamed more than 1.5 million times on Spotify alone and just hit #27 at Active Rock Radio and #35 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart. Guitar World called the song an “essential rock anthem” and raved, “Windmilling acoustic guitars and wailing Flying V solos are the order of the day, and they sound colossal.”
After wrapping a national tour with Badflower earlier this year, Des Rocs is currently in the midst of a headline tour that wraps tomorrow night in Omaha, NE. Reviewing his performance at Sonic Temple festival earlier this year, Metal Injection proclaimed, “Des Rocs opened the main stage with the same energy and zeal as a headliner…This is the kind of music that is meant to be played live in an arena, and vocalist/guitarist Daniel Rocco is the kind of person who is meant to do it.”
Dream Machine follows Des Rocs’ 2021 debut full length album A Real Good Person In A Real Bad Place. The album received wide-ranging praise from outlets like Loudwire (“addictive”), Guitar World (“fierce”), Rolling Stone, SPIN, American Songwriter and Alternative Press, who describes Des Rocs’ sound as “a whirlwind of classic-rock-influenced alternative rock that will leave your heart racing.” Currently, Des Rocs boasts more than 1.25 million monthly listeners on Spotify, with more than 227 million global streams to date.
7) Natural Born Thriller
8) In The Night
9) Up To You
Tour Dates:
7/27 – Omaha, NE – Waiting Room Lounge
9/23 – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre
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