Bray & the Dens to Release New Album STINGRAY

Eclectic alternative rock artist BRAY & THE DENS proudly announce the release of the band's fourth studio album, Stingray, on March 20. Prior to the Stingray's street date, Bray will also release the latest Bray & the Dens video "Enemy Lines" on January 17. After the "Enemy Lines" video is released, Bray will follow it up with the first single and video from Stingray called "Be Your Own Surgeon," due out in mid-February prior to the full album's release. According to Bray, "The title says it all at this point. I don't want to give too much away about the video yet, but it will definitely be a kick!"

Singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Bray Gurnari is the principal of his band, employing a rotating array of musicians to round out the Bray & the Dens trio. San Francisco-based Bray's unique brand of alt pop rock is a mix of Bowie-esque hooks and crisp, driving grooves à la Queens of the Stone Age. The band's music is a blend of syncopated propulsion, sly hooks and poignant lyricism. It's rhythmic, hooky guitar-driven rock, to be sure...but it's also cinematic and clever, with funky beats and lush pop sensibilities thrown into the mix. Bray's music is heavily influenced by David Bowie and Prince, and has been compared to the Foo Fighters and Arctic Monkeys. "Our sound is more sensual than the Foo Fighters, yet still packs the punch. Perhaps more accurately, it's the Arctic Monkeys-meets-Matisse; it's The Police-meets-Zoolander," he laughs.

"I'm influenced by Renaissance people who make a mark through giving and creating; artists who follow their own muse without apology."

Bray and his band the Dens have entertained audiences in ten countries and have played live for crowds in excess of 7000. Bray's songs have been featured on 11 national TV shows to date, including MTV's "Road Rules," VH1's "Old Skool" and the syndicated reality series "Bad Girls Club," among others. His videos have garnered more than four million YouTube views...in fact, two of Bray's recently released videos, "Long Gone" and "Clone Me," have each garnered over two million views on YouTube to date. Bray tours Europe extensively on a regular basis, and these tours are always quite successful, especially for an unsigned artist. Bray also performs regularly at San Francisco's top venues and just returned from another successful European tour. He's performed to over 500,000 at San Francisco's Pride Festival, and has shared stages with Slash, Scott Weiland, Joe Satriani, and members of the Doors and The Sex Pistols. Bray has been noted as an "Artist to Keep an Eye On" by the San Jose Mercury News, "Best Live Band" by the San Francisco Herald, and voted in the Top 100 Unsigned Bands in the Nation by Music Connection, among many other press accolades. Tracks from two of Bray's previously released studio albums, Independent Film and Pins and Needles, have enjoyed heavy rotation on over 150 CMJ stations nationwide, charting as high as #3.

The first upcoming video, "Enemy Lines," is a cut from the album The Aliens are Here, which was released in 2019. The song was produced with his longtime friend Cam Perridge, and the video was directed by Brazilian filmmaker Piettro Garibaldi and filmed in Dresden and Budapest. "The theme surrounding this video is betrayal," Bray explains. "In the video, I'm chasing a ghost, which is something I've actually done in real life and wanted to address. We aimed to tell this story using layers (hinting at duality or duplicity) and by filming in the goddamn coldest weather! While working on songs for "Aliens," I decided this song fit the concept of isolation, and reworked it with a much heavier treatment," he reveals. "The lyrics are pretty straight-forward. I was deeply hurt by a friend, which I now realize was my own part in, which was me believing what I wanted to believe. Still, when our heart longs for something, it hurts when we are denied that thing; when the rug is pulled out from what we thought was real." Sample lyric: "No power of detection. I was lost in your affection. Upon closer inspection, I couldn't see my own reflection. Behind enemy lines, we looked each other dead in the eyes. Behind enemy lines, you lied."

Bray is currently weighing the band's U.S touring options to support Stingray this year, and the band's live show is not to be missed! "We always try to make sure our live show is a rousing affair, shaped almost like a movie with intro, arc, plot twist, and finale. I try to reach each and every person in the audience, and always come straight from the heart."

When all is said and done, Bray wants to inspire his fans to look at the world in a new way. "I hope they feel hope and inspiration, so that maybe the colors of the world are more vivid, and the spirits of others are more valued."

Be sure not to miss Bray's "Enemy Lines" video on January 17, "Be Your Own Surgeon" single and video in mid-February, full album Stingray out March 20, and stay tuned for U.S. touring news to be announced soon!

Photo Credit: Noelle Boring

To post a comment, you must register and login.