DE'WAYNE - june
- Samuel Stevens
- Jul 28
- 3 min read
On june, his third studio album, which is due July 30, 2025, via Fearless Records, DE’WAYNE doesn’t just turn the volume up—he strips it all down. Raw, radiant, and radically free, june is a triumphant rock record driven by vulnerability, wrapped in funk-drenched swagger, and elevated by emotional clarity. It’s his most expansive, soul-baring, and stylistically rich offering to date.
Since emerging in 2017, DE’WAYNE has blurred the lines between rock, R&B, alternative, and experimental pop—but here, he fully comes into focus. Inspired by the likes of Prince, Parliament Funkadelic, Nina Simone, and Bruce Springsteen, june sounds like what happens when a Black artist breaks every mould and builds a palace of sound from sweat, heartbreak, and divine energy.
The album’s opening number, "Lady Lady," sets the tone with shimmering guitars and a groove that struts with sex and soul. It’s rock’n’roll with a wink, but not without weight. Then comes the heart of the record: "June" itself, a centrepiece track inspired by Talking Heads and Prince that feels both intimate and anthemic. "I wanted this to reach everybody," DE’WAYNE shares—and he does. It’s danceable, poetic, and emotionally crushing all at once.
Tracks like "Take a Picture" and "Highway Robbery" showcase his knack for blending funky basslines with arena-sized hooks. The latter, "Highway Robbery" in particular, is DE’WAYNE at his peak—charming, energetic, and deeply personal, paying homage to Ohio Players while grounding the track in modern textures. The title of which came from the connection he has with his significant other. "She didn’t literally steal my heart—but I left the door wide open for it," he shares, and the song was originally written as a poem; it’s as romantic as it is playful.
But june isn’t all glitter and groove. "Sundays" delivers one of the record’s most intimate moments. A synth-heavy slow-burner, it explores DE’WAYNE’s complicated relationship with his father. "It’s about seeing your father as both a hero and a human, flawed and real," he explains—and the pain and gratitude co-exist in the song’s aching delivery.
Later, "Biological" and "Prize Fight" dig into the messier corners of love and identity. On the former, he surrenders logic to feeling, embracing a connection that feels fated, not chosen. “Some connections are just wired into us,” he says, and you believe him. "Prize Fight," meanwhile, is gritty and gutsy, with pounding percussion and lyrics that speak to resilience and the emotional combat zone of deep relationships.
"Forever" and "What Does He Really Know" lean more into dreamy, crooning territory, but don't stray too far from the rock heartbeat that sits in the center of the album's sonic identity. While the track "Love Raider" closes the album with a wink and a roar—a funky rock goodbye kiss that leaves the listener wanting more.
What makes june so compelling is how fearless it feels. DE’WAYNE isn’t chasing genre trends—he’s building a sound that reflects his soul, honouring his influences without being boxed in by them. From the production helmed with close collaborator Dylan Bauld (formerly of flor) to the bold songwriting co-crafted with Brandon Colbein (Hayley Kiyoko, Anthony Ramos), june is a tightrope walk between elegance and grit, showmanship and sincerity.
In his own words, this is DE’WAYNE’s “epic rock love album.” But it’s more than that—it’s a declaration of identity, a celebration of Black artistry in rock music, and a reminder that vulnerability is a superpower. june is not just one of the year’s best rock albums—it’s a genre-bending manifesto for emotional freedom.
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