Review Summary: A band losing steam
Dance Gavin Dance is one of those bands that has such a cult following that whatever you say about them won’t influence their diehard fans' opinion. At one point during my high school years, I was one of those fans. From the very first song I heard, “Strawberry Swisher, Pt. 3”, I was instantly hooked and as I went back to their debut “Downtown Battle Mountain” and up to what was their most recent release “Acceptance Speech” I was awestruck. Their fusion of math-rock and post-hardcore was something I had never heard up until that point and that is what hooked people, it was so different. Of course, they have their influences from Refused, At the Drive-In, and others, but they made their own new sound (now known as swancore). However, as I have grown older and followed DGD for countless years defending them whenever they got a bad rating, I am slowly growing tired.
From the opening guitar lick of “Prisoner” we hear a familiar sound: noodly math-rock guitars, soring cleans, and funny, but meaningless Joh screamed lyrics. It’s a sound the band has been perfecting for years and when their 2016 “Mothership” released I saw as the perfect formula. However, Afterburner sees a group of 5 guys running out of steam. For example, Jon’s screams seem more forced than they have ever felt, something I started noticing on their last LP, “Artificial Selection”. I feel bad for Joh to because he still shows up for work every day, and puts in the energy, but it feels like Will always forgets about him and throws him into each song because he has to. But, on the other side, I feel that Tilian’s voice is the strongest he has ever been since he started with the band in 2013. Kris Crummett, their producer, has perfected the best way to process Tilians high pitched voice to make it sound so pleasant over the instrumentals.
Tracks like “Lyrics Lie”, “One In a Million”, “Strawberry’s Wake”, “Parallels”, and especially “Calentamiento Global” show some of the weakest songwriting in their whole discography. Not to say that Will’s (guitar), Matt’s (drums), and Tim’s (bass) playing sound phoned in, but the writing and overall sound of the songs are so one-note for a DGD song. It’s weird because again I feel that all five of them love to play the music Will writes, but they don’t like writing it or get bored writing it. It's not to say there aren’t some truly great songs here. I think much of the second half of this record shows some great writing. Especially on “Born To Fail”, “Night Sway”, “Say Hi”, and “Nothing Shameful”, and even songs like “Prisoner” and “Parody Catharsis” show a band not only having fun with their songs but show a forward push for the sound they have perfected for so many years.
I think the band needs a break; a really good break. They have been pumping out an album every other year for 15 years now and the years of wear and tear are starting to show. The best songs here I feel were the ones written over a longer period of time, then the tracks that feel so underwritten. Specifically, I think Will needs to go soul searching for some new inspiration and Jon needs some soul searching as well for what his role is in the band. With all the negatives I have presented here I still think this is an above-average release. The fun sound of DGD is still present with their ninth album. But the heart that was always present during their previous records is lacking. Plus when a band that invents a sound is starting to be overshadowed by other bands they have inspired, they need to find a new direction. Groups like Hail the Sun, Pulses, and Eidola have taken this style and made it more intricate, sophisticated, and mature. I hope that into the future we see a step in a different direction a direction that maybe we see on the very last song of the record “Into the Sunset”. Not to say they really do the hip-hop fusion justice, but it’s a promising new course for the band.
