With their sixth album, Sacramento six-piece, Dance Gavin Dance construct something which is suitably eclectic, unexpectedly complex and ultimately strangely rewarding. ‘Instant Gratification’, the band’s second record with their current pairing of vocalists and their first since 2013’s lukewarm ‘Acceptance Speech’, is an excellent example of experimental rock done right with a significant portion of its success indebted to the band’s hard working and intricate instrumental section.
The entrancing and complex guitar present throughout ‘Instant Gratification’ is one of the things which helps stitch the record together. Guitarist, Will Swan, who has remained with the band throughout their many line-up changes, once again produces jangly, intricate and meandering math-rock melodies which slot in perfectly with the energetic and eventful percussion provided at breakneck speed by, fellow founding member, Matt Mingus. The opening track ‘We Own The Night’ is an early example of the sextet’s tight, slick and faultless instrumental backbone which is consistent throughout ‘Instant Gratification’. At times, the extreme level of elaborateness which is evident on the record seems like it would be better suited on a contemporary post-rock record.
Vocally however, Dance Gavin Dance are less cohesive. There are times on the record where the duo of vocalists, Jon Mess and Tilian Pearson, sound like they are competing against one another to be in the foreground of the sound. Tracks like ‘Something New’ show the band trying to cram a lot of disparate ideas into one song with the resulting conflicting vocal performances providing a jarring experience. However, when the pair allow one another more room within each track the results are fantastic.
‘On The Run’, the lead single from the album, begins with screamed vocals from Mess before swiftly handing over to Pearson for his gorgeous, steadily-built climax which is layered perfectly over an almost dream-pop backdrop. Contrastingly, the following track, ‘Shark Dad’, starts with Pearson in command before being hijacked by Mess who flings us into a hurtling torrent of experimental mathcore reminiscent of The Dillinger Escape Plan. Placed back to back, these tracks display the diversity that Dance Gavin Dance can deliver.
With this in mind, it is a bit disappointing when Dance Gavin Dance offer up a menagerie of tracks which are reasonably dull, formulaic and repetitive. The tripartite combination of ‘Awkward’, ‘The Cuddler’ and ‘Legend’ come across as somewhat throwaway when compared with the front-end of the album. However, closers ‘Variation’ and ‘Lost’ recapture the lost momentum and make up for some of the album’s more indifferent cuts.
While it does not invoke a feeling of ‘Instant Gratification’ upon its first encounter, the album becomes more and more likeable with every listen as more textures become exposed in the band’s sound. At times ‘Instant Gratification’ is both inconsistent and unpredictable, a fact which Dance Gavin Dance are proud of and they often use it to their advantage.
JACK HADAWAY-WELLER