The Curious Case of Dance Gavin Dance's 'Jackpot Juicer'

Hey. How’s it going? Good? Good.

I hope the past month has been kind to everyone. For better or worse, July was kind of uneventful for me. I had some good fun throughout, and I’ve been working hard to get back into my proper workflow, but I’m still seemingly stuck in a bit of a rut. So, for all intents and purposes, I haven’t much to report today. That said, I figured that, in place of the usual monthly update, I’d use this first post of the month to instead do a little music review. In particular, I’m pretty excited to chat about Dance Gavin Dance’s highly anticipated tenth album, Jackpot Juicer, their longest album to date, which dropped last Friday, July 29th.

Most people who know me know that DGD is one of my favorite bands of all time. They’re up there in my top five, to be sure. And, ahead of Northlane’s Obsidian and Motionless in White’s Scoring the End of the World, Jackpot Juicer has been my most anticipated musical release of 2022. Much to my elation, the boys have once again delivered a true gem of a record for fans to dig into.

Now, of course, over the past few months, this band has been thrown for quite a few god-awful loops, and it’s a little tricky to discuss this album without first mentioning that stuff, at least briefly. Former bassist Tim Feerick tragically passed away in April, and not long after that, vocalist Tilian Pearson had sexual misconduct allegations levied against him, so he has since stepped away from the band. Of course, both former members were deeply involved in the production process, and the final product is heavily influenced by their presence, so I still want to give credit where it’s due.

With that being said, given that this record is 18 tracks long, I certainly have no intention of breaking it down song by song. We’ll be here way too long if I do that. However, I think the track count is actually a good starting point for this little review. Because, frankly, as much as I love having more DGD to listen to, part of me wonders if this album could have been shorter.

Jackpot Juicer is wildly ambitious in just about every regard, featuring some of the band’s most creative tracks ever. There’s a lot to enjoy here, start to finish, and not one of these 18 tunes feels like filler. However, with that many songs, it’s easy for the overall sound of the album to get a little same-y here and there, especially in the latter half. To me, it feels like the album is more interested in being crazy and experimental, with a more unified sound throughout, rather than having any one or two tracks stand out more than the others. This feels like a fairly notable departure from the framework of the band’s previous records, like Afterburner and Artificial Selection, because those albums managed to accomplish the same thing while also allowing each song to have its own identity.

Those previous albums also featured tunes like “Prisoner” and “Midnight Crusade,” respectively, that acted as reliable linchpins for listeners when some of the other tunes maybe didn’t stick quite as well (not that that was really an issue, since both of those albums were also quite masterful). Jackpot Juicer has songs like “Synergy” and “Die Another Day” that feel separated enough from the rest, but not quite in the same way as in previous outings. With so much going on in Jackpot Juicer, it’s easy for some of tracks to get lost in the background, and I wonder if cutting maybe two or three of them might have helped the album feel tighter overall in its execution.

Now, while the overall presentation isn’t quite as impressive as in previous albums, the musicianship here is still unbelievable, even for DGD’s standards. Jackpot Juicer features some of their most inventive and charismatic lyrics to date. Hell, they even push into some surprisingly cynical territory from time to time, much to my amusement. “Cream of the Crop,” “One Man’s Cringe,” “Ember,” “Die Another Day,” and “Current Events” particularly stand out in this regard. And leave it to Pearson and co-vocalist Jon Mess to deliver it all in flawless fashion. Furthermore, I’m absolutely over the moon to hear Andrew Wells doing more vocals, in addition to his role on guitars, now that he’s an official member of the band.

On the topic of instrumentals, the band has honestly never been better. Guitarist Will Swan, drummer Matt Mingus, and, of course, Tim Feerick put their all into this one. DGD have always had a clear grasp on the kind of sound they want to achieve with their sound, effortlessly blending erratic rhythms with somber tones. In this regard, again, “Cream of the Crop” and “Die Another Day” receive top marks, in addition to “Holy Ghost Spirit,” “Two Secret Weapons,” and “Pray To God For Your Mother.”

No doubt, this is easily the band’s grooviest album yet. Again, things do sometimes sound a little similar for my liking but it’s really not such a terrible thing. I mean, after all, there are only so many manic drum beats and guitar riffs you can come up with before things just don’t make sense anymore. Part of the beauty of this band is that they can get so inventive with their sound while still delivering a sound that’s easy to follow along and jam to. Would I enjoy more unique sounds throughout this album? Yes. Does it detract from the overall quality that they’re not there? Not really.

If I were to pick a few favorites, overall, from the album, each of the singles are definitely up there. “Synergy” and “Pop Off!” are probably the most fun tracks of the whole record. “Cream of the Crop” is similarly wild and wacky, and it perfectly captures everything this band gets right. It also serves as a wonderful opener for the album, coming in off the melodic strings of “Untitled 2.” “Die Another Day” stands as my favorite track of the album, with a singularly unique and memorable instrumental sound and a vocal performance that outshines just about every other song here.

Looking away from the singles, “One Man’s Cringe” is another big one for me. Lyrically, this might be the best tune on Jackpot Juicer, with a few easter eggs for longtime fans to enjoy and such a meaningful message to share. “Current Events” falls into a similar frame, with some very in-your-face lyrics that pack a massive punch. “Swallowed By Eternity” is another odd standout for me, featuring one of Mess’s most aggressive performances yet, as well as some massively heavy guitar blasts.

Simply put, there’s a lot to enjoy here. I knew to expect greatness from Jackpot Juicer, and DGD delivered in spades. And yes, while I do still wish the album had a bit more oomph to it overall, this is still a record I’ll happily spin on my player time and time again without fail. I can only hope now that, with such a successful release, that the band can bounce back in the face of all the turmoil they’ve been dealing with lately. They’ve been dealt an unfathomably shitty hand as of late, but if there’s any band that can take a hit and “come back steadier than ever,” it’s this one. Of that, I have no doubt.