Rise Records

Hot on the heels of 2016’s much-loved Mothership, Dance Gavin Dance’s eighth album wastes no time in stating its intent: to surpass. Though still imbued with insane technical flourishes, guttural vocals and infectious hooks, this record displays a maturity we’ve not heard before.

Where Mothership was unadulterated, Artificial Selection is considered; still drenched in bombastic aplomb, but eager to break convention – Count Bassy positively purrs, while Shelf Life’s ethereal haze is a DGD you never knew you needed. And even when the record stumbles on the slightly disjointed tonal shifts of Midnight Crusade, Flash and Story Of My Bros, the blistering final half more than atones.

This is quintessential Dance Gavin Dance. Outrageously catchy, brutally unhinged and unforgettably audacious, Artificial Selection’s masterful fusion of styles further cements the Sacramento five-piece as powerhouses of the scene. We can’t wait to see what they do next.

Chris Mackin

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