Darren Jackson of Kid Dakota has just announced the release of his fifth studio album (and first in six years) Denervation and along with that announcement, mxdwn is excited to premiere the lead single “The Convalescent.” Full of swirling synth tones, staccato guitar riffs and a mesmerizing singing style, the song instantly draws the listener in. Like the rest of the album, the song is about the traumatic accident back in 2014 which left him with extensive nerve damage after fracturing his pelvis.

“‘The Convalescent’ was written while I was convalescing in South Dakota after a horrific bicycle accident in which I broke my pelvis and suffered severe nerve damage,” said Jackson. When I wrote this song, I could barely eat or sleep due to the excruciating pain I was enduring. To say that I was living would be inaccurate, I was simply existing. In the song, I make reference to Gregor Samsa, the protagonist turned insect in Kafka’s short story, The Metamorphosis. Like Gregor, I spent three months on my back trying to imagine what my life would be like after such a traumatic transformation. “The Convalescent” is the product of my moribund musings.

It may seem strange that an album written and recorded in 2014 would take so long to come out. There’s another tragic backstory for that as well. While holed up, in a dark place while recovering from his injuries Jackson sent over the demos of what would become Denervation to his friend, producer John Kuker. After Jackson recovered he worked with drummer Matthew Kazama on the songs, finished tracking and were ready to record when Kruker died from a heart attack at age 40 in February 2015. Understandably shaken from the loss, the record was put on the back-burner.

After Jackson got married and moved back to Minneapolis last summer, he found he was in the right place to finish up the album. He called upon many of his past music collaborators (Andrew Broder of Fog, Allan Sparhawk of Low) as well as some new faces (Todd Trainer of Shellac, Dave Simonett of Trampled by Turtles) to complete the task. Denervation will be released on February 9, 2018 through Graveface Records.

Denervation track list

1. Denervation
2. The Convalescent
3. The Nurse
4. Self – Destruction
5. Hope
6. Keep Coming Back
7. Bloodletting
8. Pills

Kid Dakota also has a few shows coming up. If you are in the upper Midwest he will be playing a few dates.

Kid Dakota Tour Dates
02/10 – Icehouse – Minneapolis, MN
02/16 – The Red Herring Lounge – Duluth, MN
02/17 – Total Drag – Sioux Falls, SD
02/23 – Madison Area Arts Council – Madison, SD