Aside from his previous work in Tides of Man and continuing solo project, Tilian Pearson has presented himself as a prominent figure of the modern Post-Hardcore scene, with all of its various genre twisting bands sprouting out from just about every corner and crevice. Acceptance Speech was a far cry from the band’s more groove driven album Happiness, the attempted “back to their roots” sound on Downtown Battle Mountain 2 and it’s raw predecessor which is the self titled album, replacing both with, yet again, a new sound for fans to either love or loathe. Similar to many fans of the band, it took me a little bit of getting used to, however I couldn’t deny that the guy had some serious singing chops. Instant Gratification undoubtedly upped the ante with straight bangers like the albums introduction “We Own the Night”, lead singles “On the Run” and “Death of a Strawberry”, although listening to it as a whole is definitely the optimal experience. Mothership is the band’s 3rd album with Tilian, and their 8th release in general, not counting Tree City Sessions.
The band gets right to the point with “Chucky vs. the Giant Tortoise”, with yet another audible improvement in musicianship, with Will Swan’s guitar prowess definitely showing here. Jon and Tilian are going back and forth with their two quite different jabs at the abrasive, yet beautiful instrumentation going on, while the chorus showcases Tilian presenting a more confident, upfront effort in his singing, when compared to the previous two albums. Matt Mingus doesn’t get lazy here either, with some of the most tasteful drum fills I’ve heard in awhile, period. “Young Robot” has Tilian showing his complexity and range a little more than the previous track, however showing that the band still pretty much talks about the same subject matter that was present in virtually all of their other releases, with a hook like “She said drink that love don’t demand it, ‘cause baby I can’t stand it when you look so pathetic. Drink that love, it’s like a habit. Feeling like a savage, you know I gotta have it, I gotta have it all.” The change in tempo is a nice breath of fresh air though, in classic DGD fashion. “Deception” is one of the album’s more straight forward tracks, along with the album’s lead single “Betrayed By The Game”, not including tempo changes in replace of catchier hooks and choruses. The second album’s single “Inspire the Liars” reminds me of how effortlessly Tilian could hold that memorable note in the beginning of “We Own the Night”, which is definitely nothing to scoff at. “Exposed” is a complete change of pace for the album, with Jon Mess nowhere to be found on the track, with it’s laid back tempo and simpler, more straight forward composition. The album’s eighth track, “Here Comes the Winner” is my personal favorite, sounding practically like nothing else on the record, or really anything else they’ve done in general, while at the same time being arguably the best example of what this album is potraying. “Chocolate Jackalope” was passable at first listen, but eventually grew on me, as I got over that incredibly cheesy Drake reference towards the end of the track. As the album comes to an end, “Man of The Year” proves to be a fitting close, with the breakdown of the track being possibly the most engaging moment on Mothership with Tilian crooning the lyrics “Filled with regret, alone in the end. Barely a man, I ran from every decision.” Simply reading the words won’t show it’s greatness, the track definitely deserves a listen.
Dance Gavin Dance has been effortlessly churning out fresh and original sounds since 2006, and even in their early beginnings with Whatever I Say Is Royal Ocean, the band has always brought something to my ears that virtually no other band has. They continue this trend with Mothership, showing no signs of slowing down in the process, which makes me ultimately excited to see what the next release brings to the band’s discography.
