Orbiting Bob Dylan’s raw storytelling honesty, MJ Lenderman’s powerful observation and the nostalgic echoes of Tom Petty and The War On Drugs, British songwriter DD Allen is driven by purpose in the poetry of sound.
There are inevitable comparisons to Neil Young: a soft voice with disarming vulnerability that’s somehow strong enough to carry the weight of the stories he needs to tell. As a young, edgy troubadour, Allen succeeded early after opening for James Blunt on the Moon Landing Tour. He’s also toured Europe with his band, supporting Vintage Trouble.
The pandemic may have resulted in a three-year health-related hiatus—but after teasing singles from his new EP Rebel Hero in 2014 and playing two consecutive sold-out hometown shows, there’s a renewed buzz around DD Allen from a growing army of fans keen to see what’s coming next.
In the new EP, Allen’s introspective expression merges themes of freedom, love, camaraderie, hope, and nostalgia into a real and raw body of work that reflects what being human truly means.It's a record born in lockdown—lonely days and nights spent scribbling conclusions in notebooks and finding melodies in the margins. What emerges are songs filled with memories and metaphors, decorated with harmonica wails and guitar strings that remember every chord they've ever played.
Songs like ‘Born To Love You’ and ‘Holborn Avenue’ prove that softness can be a strength—especially when you deliver truths that might otherwise be too sharp around the edges.
Yet when it comes to guitar anthems, the fiery tones in ‘Rebel Hero’ and ‘I See You In The Dark’ provide a sense that Allen sees folk and rock as just different dialects of the same musical language.
Recorded at Green Room Studios by music producer Mark Tucker (Jethro Tull, Portishead, PJ Harvey), this immersive new EP isn't just music for the ears—it's music for thinkers, dreamers, and anyone who's ever felt lost in the space between where they are and where they want to be.
‘Rebel Hero’, the new EP, is scheduled for release on 28 Feb 2025.