Nothing Shameful is one of my all-time favourites of Dance Gavin Dance, and my top track of Afterburner. It's one of the most intense, euphoric tracks on the record with a blissful feature to boot. The song structure and melodic design is impeccable and the vocal dynamic is top tier. There is literally nothing not to love about this song and personally I think it's the peak of this new era of Dance Gavin Dance.
It throws you straight away into the chorus, which I have to say is unbelievably catchy. The pre-chorus features a satisfying instrument-vocal sync rhythm that is tastefully call-and-responded by ecstatic swancore licks. The chorus is one of the best lines Dance Gavin Dance has ever written, both in lyrical prowess and melodic design. I cannot begin to explain how much love I have for that one singular line.
Even for a song as sappy and emotional as this, Jon never fails to be himself, even if he does switch his tone a bit to match the seriousness. Whether his seemingly nonsensical lyrics have hidden layers in this song, I have yet to tell, but I can never discount the amount of joy his screams bring to the table.
Andrew's inclusion is a blessing and a highlight of this song. He brings in such an emotional tone to the song that I honestly don't think Tilian or Jon could do, a bittersweet tone with a slight grit to paint the angst. I love that the instruments give way for his vocals to enter the scene, and subsequently amp up to strengthen his vocals when he amps up the intensity of his singing. I also adore the atmospheric vocals that Tilian does while Andrew sings, it's nothing new from him but it always does the job perfectly of adding so much character and sentiment to the music.
The outro is a perfect blend of the best of Dance Gavin Dance, with Tilian reprising the magnificent chorus, Jon chipping in with a great scream verse and then their final duo scream-sing outro of the main lyric. It feels grand, it oozes finality and it is just wonderful to the ears.
The whole damn thing feels thought out and well designed, like a confession in motion. Andrew's emotional tonality mixed with the perfect chaos of Dance Gavin Dance has always brought about wonderful music, and this is yet another masterpiece. It's also rare to see this band touch on more on the ground, human topics like love and loss, heartbreak and heartache like this, and especially in such a pensive, deliberate and earnest timbre. As much as I love their ability to be playful and lighthearted in many of their songs, I always do find myself falling hopelessly in love with the more sentimental and emotional ones, and this song has a place in my heart.
Rating: 5/5