Dance Gavin Dance release new song, 'Head Hunter'

Not even a year out from releasing the masterful 'Artificial Selection', Dance Gavin Dance have hit us with a new song, 'Head Hunter'. [PC: Digital Beard.]

Hot off the heels from their successful, sold-out Australian run in late February/early March, a new Dance Gavin Dance track has surfaced online today: 'Head Hunter'. Straight up, whether or not you prefer old-school DGD or the Tilian era, or both, this single is bound to please every fan demographic.

Whether this is a sneaky B-side from 'Artificial Selection' or a new single eventually kicking off another album cycle in 2019 (the longest gap between DGD albums is barely two years), I'm not fussed either way. I'm just happy to have more Dance Gavin Dance in my life; to have something new from Tilian Pearson and co. in my ears. Don't expect anything too much out of the ordinary, yet as the band are on a trail-blazing high right now, I don't even mind if this is overly samey. As it's still fun, still hooky, still well-written, and still good.

Sitting on the shorter side of three minutes, 'Head Hunter' just has this sweet 'Instant Gratification' (2015) groove and mood to it, with some vibes from 'Acceptance Speech' as well. (Minus that album's meh production). All with their usual sense of colourful melodies, eclectic riffs, and killer tones. It's also got a traditional DGD sound, leaning more on their chaotic guitar parts of old.

Screamer Jon Mess sounds great here, and this quickly becoming one of my favourite performances from the guy of late; sounding clear, direct, and powerful. And what can I say about Tilian that won't be trotted out by everyone else when talking about this new song? The dude just nails it! Sounding comfortable and confident whilst his poppy vocals fly like a lofty, elevated kite.

The band's go-to album artist, Mattias Adolfsson, is always drawing and creating new pieces, so I wouldn't be surprised if the cover below was apart of a larger work. A larger work that, in keeping with the characters and theme of the band's album art, will appear in full on their next LP? Well, only time will tell!

For now, bless this mess with some slightly belated summertime gladness. Yeehaw! (Just don't question what's going on in the below video.)