* En anglais uniquement
Volatile post-hardcore outfit
Dance Gavin Dance deliver thrashing, emo-leaning anthems performed over the years by a frequently shifting lineup anchored by stalwarts
Will Swan (lead guitar, vocals) and
Matt Mingus (drums). Signed to Rise Records since their 2006 debut, the Sacramento-based band steadily climbed the charts over a series of albums until mainstream success found them in the mid-2010s. Ten years into their career, 2016's
Mothership landed at number 13 on the Billboard 200 with its 2018 follow-up,
Artificial Selection, performing nearly as well at number 15. The lineup responsible for these later standouts remained stable and
Dance Gavin Dance headed into their next decade with 2020's
Afterburner.
Formed in 2005, the band originally comprised vocalists
Jonny Craig and Jonathan Mess, guitarists
Will Swan and Sean O'Sullivan, bassist
Eric Lodge, and drummer
Matt Mingus. Based on their self-released debut EP
Whatever I Say Is Royal Ocean,
Dance Gavin Dance signed with Rise Records in 2006 who then remastered and re-released the EP. Their first full-length,
Downtown Battle Mountain, arrived the next year featuring production
Kris Crummett who would go on to become a frequent collaborator with the band. Before releasing their self-titled sophomore follow-up in 2008,
Craig left the band and was briefly replaced by
Kurt Travis. Mess and
Lodge also parted ways with the band, with
Swan taking over screaming vocals and
Jason Ellis as the new bassist.
Happiness, their third album, was released in 2009. The lineup changes continued the next year, with Mess and
Lodge returning; they brought along guitarist
Josh Benton.
Jonny Craig returned for a moment, relieving
Travis of his vocal duties. That incarnation of the band released
Downtown Battle Mountain II, the sequel to their debut. The reunion wouldn't last long, however, as
Craig split yet again in 2012.
Tilian Pearson (ex-
Tides of Man) was brought on in 2013, just in time for their fifth album,
Acceptance Speech.
During this tumultuous period,
Dance Gavin Dance maintained a steady ascent of the Billboard charts and their sixth album, 2015's
Instant Gratification, made it all the way to number 32. This set the table for a successful tenth anniversary tour later that year. 2016 brought their second live album,
Tree City Sessions, which included material from each of their six albums and marked the return of
Josh Benton on guitar and production duties. A few months later,
Dance Gavin Dance's seventh LP,
Mothership, debuted at 13 on the Billboard 200. Now working with a steady lineup, the group recorded their eighth album,
Artificial Selection, in 2018. The effort featured singles "Son of a Robot" and "Care," as well as guest vocalists
Andrew Wells ("Evaporate") and former bandmate
Travis ("Shelf Life"). They followed this with a remastered instrumental re-release of their 2013 album, packaged as
Acceptance Speech 2.0. However, it wasn't long before they were recording more original material, which surfaced in the form of their tenth studio album,
Afterburner; the record saw a number of returning guests, including
Wells,
Strawberry Girls' Zachary Garren, and
Veil of Maya's
Marc Okubo. They also released a follow-up to their 2016 live album in
Tree City Sessions 2.
Wells, who had served as a guest and touring member, was officially inducted into the band in 2021. ~ Corey Apar & Neil Z. Yeung