Written by Shea | Photo by Charlie Boss

“I’m self obsessed / I think real hard and I do my best, to do my part,” Dexter Webb sings on the aforementioned “I’m Self Obsessed”, the second track off of his latest album It’s All For Me self-released this past September. You can often find Webb playing guitar in the touring band of Indigo De Souza or playing in various live musical configurations around North Carolina. But back in 2024, Webb shared So I Lost My Shot!, a debut album of lost sounds and ideas that took a long time to feel complete after its initial release. It’s All For Me had to be released cut and dry for both its own and Webb’s sake to move on to whatever’s next.

Throughout Webb’s figurative stylings, accumulating tinkerings with instinctive sonic fulfillment, It’s All For Me sounds like striking gold in the junk drawer; the lost forgotten treasures of yesteryear that now take on a new meaning. Action figures who peaked in high school, AAA batteries with a bit of juice left, old baseball cards where the players all seem to wink at you with profitable intents; each track runs fast and with harsh familiarity as Webb writes with such classic strains of pop hooks and instrumental progressions, yet still maintains to be fully and remarkably individual. “But that ain’t me / at least for now I still wanna be right off of the track / where I can’t hear the train and all of my friends are just doing their thing”, he continues on “I’m Self Obsessed”, lighthearted amongst the chimes of bells and glitching inputs. It’s All For Me does feel like it was written for an audience of one, and to its credit, that’s what makes it so special. It’s both confrontational and comforting, gripping tightly to the dichotomy between the act of making art and sharing art, as Webb continues to define pleasure, space, and voice in what he does.

We recently got to ask Webb some questions about the album, the struggles of working solo and his ever-shifting writing process. 

It’s All For Me is your latest album to be shared with the world. How does it feel to have it out? 

Feels positive to be out from under one thing and crawled up under another. It’s generally good for me to have less to consider, and I haven’t thought about those recordings much since that day I put it up. The process of making it felt important, but not sure how I feel or what it means otherwise. 

You have participated in several other NC bands over the years, either offering guitar work or helping with recording services. When did you want to start releasing your own stuff? What did your time working with other artists bring to your own work, and what does it mean to have something entirely your own?

I always wanted to, but it can be psychologically complicated to be alone in that process. With friends, I can at least take comfort in the simple truth that playing music with people I love is GOOD. That’s more than enough a reason to do it. For whatever reason I have some elusive, ghostly shame around my own public creative existence. 

Like you said, having these songs to sit on and to consider and to put out, does that feel like a chore or a task to complete for you? What makes you put out your own work despite the ghostly shame? 

No, never a chore. I don’t want to force it. Feels like I can’t afford to let the good thing go sour. There’s always fun to be found in it, it’s just a matter of if I can let myself go there.

Your approach to releasing music on bandcamp is fairly loose, being comfortable making changes and trying new things. Did the making and releasing of It’s All For Me differ in the way you released So I Lost My Shot?

Two very different experiences. So I Lost My Shot! was a yearlong roll out of whatever I was finding on old tapes and my couple broken computers. I found myself looking around for something when I felt down and didn’t know why. Usually took one or two manic flurries for another batch of songs to get thrown up. I’d take it down when it felt weird, and every once in a while, throw it back up with another half hour or something. I’m far enough away from it now. It’s All for Me came from my first time not having a home recording setup and sitting around writing songs was my only option. As soon as I could plug shit in, I recorded them as fast as I could and put it up. 

Do you think that initial reaction to write first and then quickly record and share all at once affected how this album came out in the end? Whether that be creatively speaking or the way you were able to put it out and let it be?

It did.  I could’ve easily strangled it into something else, if I didn’t learn my lesson the first hundred times. More time with something usually allows more of those self-destructive thoughts to show face. Music I’ve made that I “loved” the most and spent the most time with had to be destroyed. Better for me not to get too attached, because I can and will. I have more creative self-trust now that I will just write more and keep doing what works. The shame doesn’t have much good to say, it’s just that part of the brain that if you listen too close it can push you to complete nonexistence, probably best to do the opposite of whatever it says

There seem to be instances of grappling with perception of self and the way you are perceived by others. Where were you writing from for this album? Were there any themes you found yourself writing to?

Mostly writing about confusion, my death, and trying to make myself laugh.

You also work a lot with video and animations. What is your relationship to visuals? Does it influence the way you approach making music at all? 

Not so much anymore. I had fun while I was doing it. I think it came from being on tour all the time and editing video was something I could do in the van. I’ll probably play with clay again, but it takes a warm space for my hands, and I find myself currently bouncing from cold to colder.

You can listen to It’s All For Me out now.