More Dance Gavin Dance singles! We're looking at their 2019 twin release, between Artificial Selection and Afterburner. The two artworks combining to make one big piece is pretty cool, but cooler are the songs itself. Intriguingly, in a similar fashion to Summertime Gladness, the vibe of both songs are this interesting lighthearted and summer-y sound that isn't really found on their albums.
Head Hunter is the punchier of the two, immediately starting off with fun, bouncy riff and Jon Mess spelling out "bless this mess" for you (whether he's referring to himself remains a mystery). Tilian comes in soon after, voice soothing as ever, amidst a sea of strong swancore guitarwork. The chorus is catchy as they always manage to do, but the verses and bridge are solid too. The riffage is super shiny and bright, especially with those tremolo high chords in the chorus and frenzied notes here and there.
Blood Wolf is the trippier of the two, drawing some inspiration from pyschedelic rock to sound funky and weird. I love the chord choices, really vibrant, the guitar tone for the first verse is pretty gnarly too. The pre-chorus feels just a tiny bit weird with the way it transitions in, but minor gripe. Solid chorus, better post-chorus, bless this Mess. The verses have some great vocal melodies and tasty instrumental backings, super summer vibes, even more so than Summertime Gladness if I'm being honest.
Neither of these songs are here to push to limit of their swancore sound, but they are definitely the epitome of a good time. Massive summer vibes that makes you wanna move is never a bad thing, and they absolutely kill it on these two tracks. I may not seek out these songs on my own, but you can be damn well sure I never skip them.
Rating: 3/5