Nearly a year on from Dance Gavin Dance’s decision to launch a “new era” with guitarist Andrew Wells as their clean vocalist, the long-running post-hardcore outfit have announced they’ve entered the Pantheon. More specifically, that’s the legacy-reflecting album title given to the band’s upcoming LP.
Dance Gavin Dance’s 11th studio full-length is out September 12th via Rise Records, and it indeed coalesces around the current line-up of vocalist-guitarist Wells, longtime frontman Jon Mess, lead guitarist Will Swan and drummer Matthew Mingus. The band had debuted that version of themselves in 2024 via the launch of double-single “Speed Demon” and “Straight From the Heart.”
To promote the upcoming full-length, DGD have now debuted “Midnight at McGuffy’s,” a track that flexes a mix of clean and screamed vocal introspection (“I took a trip through all my past mistakes for you”). This all takes place above a pulsing drum pound and fast-and-fingery, Swan-style fretboard finessing.
“We poured our hearts and souls into this record,” Mingus said in a statement. “It has all the signature elements our fans have come to expect, along with fresh sounds and new styles that truly spotlight Andrew as our new vocalist. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride that is Pantheon.”
A music video delivers a surrealist, Lost Highway-vibed intro before the group jam it out at the titular McGuffy’s. No matter the time of day, you can give the track a stream via the player above.
As for the rest of Pantheon, the follow-up to 2022’s Jackpot Juicer is said to feature a kaleidoscopic approach that shifts “back towards the band’s heavier, more experimental beginnings,” while retaining the pop-forward hooks of the past few LPs. Tonally, it’s apparently “a record that navigates an undercurrent of instability, frustration and exasperation,” while also acting as “a testament to perseverance.”
“The intention of Pantheon was to build a certain tension, without a proper resolution,” Wells added. “The world is in chaos right now, so there is a lot of solemn commentary on where we’re all headed, songs about where we find ourselves in life right now, and the classic DGD absurdism for light and relief amongst the darkness of it all.”
Amazingly, Pantheon also features a guest appearance from Parliament-Funkadelic great George Clinton on “Space Cow Initiation Ritual.” You’ll find the rest of the album info down below, while a pre-order for CD and LP versions of the album are currently available in the Revolver shop.
Dance Gavin Dance launch their “Return of the Robot” tour May 22nd at the Fillmore in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. You’ll find the info for their spring fling down below.
Pantheon tracklisting:
Animal Surgery
Midnight at McGuffy’s
The Robot With Human Hair: Rebirth
The Conqueror Worm
Trap Door
Strawberry’s Daughters
Space Cow Initiation Ritual (feat. George Clinton)
All the Way Down
A Shoulder to Cry On
The Peak of Superstition
The Stickler
Yikes!
Descent to Chaos
Dance Gavin Dance tour dates:
5/22 Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore
5/23 Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore
5/24 New York, NY – The Rooftop at Pier 17
5/25 Worcester, MA – The Palladium
5/27 Detroit, MI – The Fillmore
5/29 Toronto, ON – HISTORY
5/31 Chicago, IL – Aragon Ballroom
6/1 Minneapolis, MN – The Fillmore
6/3 Louisville, KY – Old Forester’s Paristown Hall
6/4 Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works
6/6 Fort Lauderdale, FL – FTL War Memorial
6/7 St. Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live
6/8 Atlanta, GA – Coca-Cola Roxy
6/9 Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore
6/13 Houston, TX – Bayou Music Center
6/14 Dallas, TX – South Side Ballroom
6/15 Oklahoma City, OK – The Criterion
6/17 San Antonio, TX – Vibes Event Center
6/19 Albuquerque, NM – Revel
6/20 Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren
6/21 Las Vegas, NV – Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas
6/23 Denver, CO – Fillmore Auditorium
6/24 Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex
6/25 Boise, ID – Revolution Center
6/27 Wheatland, CA – Hard Rock Live
6/28 Riverside, CA – Riverside Municipal Auditorium
6/29 San Diego, CA – SOMA
1/22-1/25 – Miami, FL – E.N.D. Cruise