REVIEW: Dance Gavin Dance - 'Afterburner'
Photo by Lindsey Byrnes
Written by Andy Katz
Afterburner is the latest record from the creators and kings of “Swancore,” Dance Gavin Dance. I’m just going to flat out say that this is the DGD record. This record needs to be played in a goddamn stadium, packed with people or even entirely empty (cause you know, the quarantine). It just needs to be played excruciatingly loud accompanied by a broken pause button. I thought Mothership was the DGD record, but then Friday, April 24th, 2020 happened and I’m as wrong as eating a ketchup popsicle with white gloves.
Right out of the gate, the record is immediately set ablaze with “Prisoner.” DGD doesn’t give the listener a chance to take a deep breath before diving in. Will Swan’s signature and highly complex guitar leads progress through your headphones faster than Guy Fieri’s hair bleaching habit. While you recover from God-tier Swancore riffage, Tillian Pearson appears, serenading you with his sultry voice, hovering above the controlled chaos found beneath. Lord help me, this dude can sing. The track propels into a crazy, groovy chorus that opens the gate for a second verse, doubling down hard on that grooviness. If you know this band, then you know that having Jon Mess as the office manager of your harsh vocal department, gives you more confidence than the dude who was bold enough to eat horse shit after the Eagles won the Super Bowl a few years back. In other words, he just can’t and won’t let you down (that comparison is kind of a stretch, but whatever, I’m sticking to it). The pairing of his vocals with those quirky, clean guitar tones is just superb. This is signature DGD.
“Lyrics Lie,” another single, keeps the fire burning bright, even daring to add some gasoline. Matthew Mingus has his fingerprint all over this song. His drumming is the perfect compliment to those choppy rhythms. There’s so much power behind the chorus to this track, and with each bar, it’s as hair-raising as Christian Bale chopping up Jared Leto in American Psycho. Hooks, hooks, and you guessed it, hooks. This chorus is just a microcosm of what the rest of this record feels like, and this all happens in the first fifty-seven seconds. The song doesn’t stop though. Syncopated kick drum and bass guitar push into a brief second verse that leads you into that chorus again. It ripped into me like the pain of my first tattoo, with the exception that I actually enjoyed the hell out of it and wasn’t crying (I legit did, it was my ribs after all). Mess and Pearson perform a call and response that ultimately lead to Pearson singing “I don’t remember at all / I guess sometimes lyrics lie.” If I’m guessing right, they seem super pissed with someone. By the end of this banger, you know that hype was real surrounding this record.
Afterburner is one giant, impressive highlight reel. Within those highlights, are even more detailed moments of bliss. “Calentamiento Global” and “One in a Million” are anthemic and essentially indestructible songs. They are both examples of ingenious songwriting, built on a solid foundation of enthralling vocal melodies. As a listener, you have to treat a new DGD record like the Water Temple in Ocarina of Time, enter with caution but be confident, knowing that you’ll be surprised in the best way possible.
“Calentamiento Global” is mostly sung in Spanish and it’s absolutely a breath of fresh air that I didn’t anticipate. Pearson sings “La forma en que te mueves / Resuelve el calentamiento global,” which I believe translates to: “The way you move / solve global warming.” If I’m guessing correctly, he is speaking of a woman and that her beauty could solve global warming. Indeed, a very flattering complement to the woman in question, and I just ask that whomever it may be show up soon, because those icecaps are melting real fast. Job well done here, boys; this track is destined to be a new fan favorite.
“One in a Million” bottles up the best parts of this album in just the chorus alone with “Heal my soul / I’m one in a million,” which just begs to be sung out loud. As the song progresses, Pearson’s melodies heighten with not only engagement, but originality. There is just a bounce and groove that can’t be duplicated by anyone else in the scene. It’s incredibly challenging to have a singer’s voice actually act as an instrument, providing not just a voice, but a way to add another layer of melody that is completely unique to the listening experience, but he does it here without fail. DGD syncopate really superbly with each other, and it completely drives the entire song.
“Strawberry’s Wake,” was my favorite single released to represent this record. Once you hear the chorus for the first time, you’ll know exactly why. It has such an addictive hook that’ll be turning back and forth in your head for a few days. By chance, if you aren’t vibing with the rest of the song, just play that chorus super loud at a red light with the windows down in a 98’ Cadillac Catera. This single showcases the best of what DGD has to offer.
The last three songs, played in succession, arguably make up the best part of this record. Let’s start with “Say Hi.” This is straight out of the DGD playbook, combining those topsy-turvy leads, quick paced drumming, and a whole hell of a lot of harsh vocals. It’s needed here. Mess hops into the driver’s seat and drives the track right off the cliff (hopefully it is your 98’ Cadillac Catera). His delivery is absolutely crushing throughout the entire song.
Andrew Wells is on this record, and that’s why “Nothing Shameful” is the climax of this record. It starts immediately at volume 11 with everything going at full blast. Displaying some impressive guitar leads, Swan carries the torch. The energy doesn’t slow down, but switches gears between distorted, shifting rhythms, and very pretty clean parts that act as a speed bump, separating the calm from chaos without actually losing energy. The song picks up again and then proceeds to almost a full stop while Wells takes center stage. His voice is absolutely magnificent, singing, “What happened to my fucking purpose / I am just a stone sinking…” Tillian and him join forces to bring the song to a high intensity crescendo that leads into the intro of the song again. They smooth it out and slow the groove slightly, finishing it out and tying it all up with a nice, shiny ribbon.
DGD ends Afterburner at the peak. The listener doesn’t have anywhere else to go. They are at the top, the top of a colossal record. However, the band suddenly appears with Johnny Franck of Bilmuri, who gently whisks you away “Into the Sunset” of Swancore Land. If you’ve ever listened to Bilmuri (I highly recommend you do), Franck captures the quintessential Bilmuri sound in this song. It’s a lush garden of his alluring vocals, 808s, and highly reverberated guitars that fill every void of your soul. The band passes the baton to Mess and Mingus who inject a high dose of energy, but not for long. The song flips again with Swan rapping, adding a familiar staple of the band found on much of their discography. The song shifts to similar guitar work that reminded me of “Powder to the People,” the last song of Happiness. I really dig that the band always remembers their roots, even from an album that had a very different lineup making up its personnel. The record finally arrives at its conclusion, and the only thing I recommend is pushing play again, because this is the best record of Dance Gavin Dance’s career.