It's finally here. The tenth album from the Sacramento post-hardcore outfit has landed fresh on our doorstep, and it is such a treat. Boasting a massive tracklist of 18 songs, the addition of Andrew Wells as a full-time member of the band, and a tasteful selection of new and familiar sounds.
I absolutely love that they brought back the prelude track for their tenth album as a callback to Downtown Battle Mountain, Untitled 2 sounding way different compared to Untitled yet both evoking the same feelings. In a way, it feels like a representation of how much more refined as a band they have become, yet continuing to harness the same energy and musical freedom they've had from the beginning.
There are so many tracks, I don't even know where to begin. The 4 singles leading up to the album release were surprisingly tame if I'm being honest, in the sense that they felt very in the home territory of Dance Gavin Dance. All four of them feel like slightly different near-perfect renditions of their formula, which I absolutely won't complain about, but I remember not being able to tell exactly what kind of direction they were going with this new album from the singles.
The album release brought upon the rest of the songs, and they are all so wildly different and I love them all to death. There is a running theme of summer vibes through most of the songs, but I love the variety of emotions that come through in different songs. Holy Ghost Spirit is very euphoric, Ember is so heavenly, One Man's Cringe is soft and therapeutic, Two Secret Weapons is so unbelievably funky and groovy, Back On Deck is wildly catchy, and the final three tracks were surprisingly monumental-sounding.
I can't put my finger on exactly what it is that's so different on this record compared to the previous ones, but it felt like they made the choice to do different things and it somehow made it more like Dance Gavin Dance. Songs like For The Jeers, One Man's Cringe and Swallowed By Eternity would have never even come close to appearing on any of their previous records. This record feels so refreshing for their sound, especially for a band that created a genre and is constantly redefining it.
I have to give credit to the band for getting this out despite being in the midst of tough times. Losing Tim was unbelievably saddening, and there is very little silver lining in listening to the last of his music, as grateful as we all are to even have it. The rest of the band has had their issues as well, with the touring and everything before and after the release. It really does seem like the band can never catch a break, but it does come off as a strong statement of their love of making music.
This record has definitely replaced the top spot now, kicking Mothership down to second place. It feels like a gift I don't deserve, with how top-notch the record is in every way. Maybe they were intending to go further than ever before and, in a sense, go all out for their tenth album, and if so, it is a masterpiece of a milestone record. There is truly no band quite like Dance Gavin Dance, and I feel that this record is their new magnum opus.
Rating: 10/10