Album Review: DNCE- DNCE
2 min read
It’s no easy feat to produce a danceable, funk driven pop album to the expectation of 2016. There’s a lot wrong with contemporary commercial “dance” music of today. Graciously, American dance-pop band DNCE have nothing to fear; splashing colours through a spectrum of notable stamina. The band release a debut record deeply rooted in old-school mechanics, channelling a direct and hearty punch to radio ubiquity.
The album’s namesake supports a scaled acapella moment; counting down the letters that reveal their main focus – Dance. Sunshine pop levels rise to colourful apexes, vibrant chord stabs and crisp funk drumming expel jubilantly as quick strumming of electric guitar puffs lift the vibe well into a large smiling region. The vocals send a genuine energy, a greater potential not yet exhibited properly by frontman Joe Jonas. Perhaps utilising his peachy and funk potential a little clearer, the record maintains a beaming confidence and musicality both tropical and amiable. It includes amicable vocal harmonies and sultry notes, producing deep within the poppy gleam that works courageously over the record’s total 49 minutes. More party business lunges forward throughout the broken beat earworm; Blown featuring Kent Jones. Then a soft rock composition lingers inside Good Day before Truthfully cuddles the listener with a slow guitar ballad channelling similarities plucked from Extreme’s More Than Words. Shifting through all things needed for a dancing paradise, closure creeps in with a nu-disco gemstone as Unsweet cleanses the party record with a syrupy finish. Elements of an early aura belonging to Michael Jackson are even exhibited here; with dashes of funk sunshine and a poppy luminosity acting fresh and gorgeous.
Jonas is by far better working with a group of individuals able to express influence and reinterpret emotion rather than catering to chart placement. Directly channelling clear influential styles, there’s noteworthy music audible here. The bubbly tropical feeling spills out from the record’s heart with every track soundtracking a different piece of a sun hit poolside. It works best when indulging in a preferential cocktail and beachside camp. Indulge.
