Starting the year with a spark, Dance Movie has delivered “Charm & Circumstance,” a jolt of pure summertime energy rolling ever faster downhill. With the succinct announcement of “New song new record new fuzz!” on the band’s Facebook page, we’re clearly in for more, but this latest release is certainly an inviting peek at what’s to come. Slated for release on March 5th, 2021, the pertinently titled CONTAINMENT has already made an impression with this energetic foot in the door.
Dance Movie’s first release since their 2017 album Pierce, “Charm & Circumstance” is a buzzing journal entry of scrawled love, angst, and longing. Tara Thorne’s lyrics shine with a shy hope and thoughtfulness; the heart of the track that the music perfectly encircles and elevates, the anxious and lovestruck words bring up an all too relatable feeling of a bittersweet heart.
“There is a hope,
There is a lonely hope inside of me,
Out from under, fog lifts in the light,
There is a time,
There is a perfect time for everything,
Be my baby, whoa-oh-oh tonight”
Some of the punch of the chunky, fuzzy guitars are lost in the background of the mix, but the bouncing strums and lead work that guide us from the beginning hold the focus and move tightly in tandem with the expressive rhythms Sean MacGillivray lays down. Ever-pumping, “Charm & Circumstance” reaches its emotional peak with the repeated chant of “Can you feel what I feel?”, and it’s pretty hard not to.
The track has constant forward momentum, even in its softer spots, evoking potent high-school-summer-rom-com vibes (no surprise from a band named Dance Movie). It occupies a similar space mentally to the likes of “The Middle” by Jimmy Eat World or “Oh My God” by Ida Maria, rolling forward with an endless supply of buzzing, heartfelt, indie drive.
From the sparklers of the single’s art to the emotive vocal delivery to the almost already familiar atmosphere the sound conjures, Dance Movie’s latest certainly lives up to the energy of their namesakes. A strong lead-in for the upcoming album, “Charm & Circumstance” gives a feeling of nostalgia that can keep daydreams warm all through the winter.