LINDSEY BYRNES
Music
stab wounds!” into Pearson’s top-40ready crooning on “Three Wishes.” It’s hard to imagine the album being as energetic or addictive to listen to were it not for how much fun Dance Gavin Dance is clearly having with it. Avoiding the Dance Gavin Dance prove to be masters of controlled chaos self-seriousness that so often plagues the on their new album, Afterburner. By Sean Maunier genre, Dance Gavin Dance is knowingly nonsensical and self-deprecating. “I need LREADY KNOWN FOR THEIR PROPENSITY TO BORROW BITS AND PIEC- some time to focus on my brand,” Pearson es from multiple genres, Dance Gavin Dance can be difficult to pin down at the cheekily sings in the opening lines to best of times. Their latest album might be their most slippery yet, blending their “Lyrics Lie,” shortly before trading some dense post-hardcore sound with whole sections of prog rock, Latin, funk, and, most hoarse screaming with Mess. Hearing him interestingly, a distinct pop-rock sound that calls to mind clean vocalist Tilian Pearson’s sing in Spanish on “Calentamiento Global” solo electropop project, produced mononymously under the name Tilian. If this all is one of the biggest surprises in an album sounds chaotic, that’s because it absolutely is, but it all comes together shockingly well in filled with them. Afterburner has so much going on that the highly addictive Afterburner (HHHHH), the band’s most unique record yet. As out of control as it all might seem on a first impression, the album is impressively taking it all in on one listen would be diffiwell-crafted. As sudden and jarring as the transitions are at times, they are handled cult to say the least. The album threads the expertly, somehow managing to feel natural. Back-to-back tracks “Parody Catharsis” needle expertly between extremes, leaning and “Strawberry’s Wake” are standout examples of this, starting out slow in almost-pop into the band’s heavier hardcore elements territory before Jon Mess comes in with his unmistakable, unclean vocals amid a riot of one moment and abruptly switching to light, melodic, and at times guitars. Pearson’s vocals often take the spotlight, but Mess does get a blatantly poppy the next. few songs where his growling voice is clearly the main event, includWatch The space between these ing on the dark, semi-industrial “Say Hi,” which largely has Pearson Strawberry’s Wake extremes is where Dance running backup behind powerful, urgent guitar lines. Gavin Dance seems most The band’s ability to embrace and embody both moods at once is Video Here comfortable. In refusing one of the album’s greatest strengths. The transitions between these moods are sudden and sometimes nonsensical, but for Dance Gavin Dance, this is a to be tied down to a single approach or feature rather than a bug, and the deliberate absurdity of the songwriting is a constant vision, they have found an approach that source of charm. Pearson’s clean vocals duel with Mess’ unclean ones throughout the works amazingly well for them, and the album, creating a back-and-forth that is as fun to listen to as it is technically impressive. result is their most complex, expansive, There’s something undeniably fun about listening to Mess growl-shouting “Multiple and energetic release yet. l
Burning Bright
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Afterburner is available on most streaming services, including Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music, and for sale on www.amazon.com. 36
APRIL 30, 2020 • METROWEEKLY.COM
