Released April 14, 2015 Label Rise | Length 42:49 Producer Kris Crummett | |
Genre Post-hardcore
experimental rock Instant Gratification
(2015) Tree City Sessions
(2016) | ||
Instant Gratification is the sixth full-length album by American post-hardcore band Dance Gavin Dance, and was released on April 14, 2015. The lead single "On the Run" was released for digital download on February 12, 2015.
Contents
It is the band's first album in eight years to feature the same set of vocalists from one consecutive release to another, with Jonny Craig and Jon Mess being featured on Whatever I Say Is Royal Ocean and the follow-up Downtown Battle Mountain (the vocal duo didn't appear again until Downtown Battle Mountain II four years later) and Jon Mess and Tilian Pearson both being featured on the previous album Acceptance Speech.
Background
The band performed the song "Something New", the third track on Instant Gratification, live for the first time in December 2014 on the Rise Records Tour. The band released the album's lead single, "On the Run" on February 12, 2015. On March 12, "We Own The Night" was released as the second single from the album. On April 2, the music video for "Stroke God, Millionaire" was released. With the early release of the album during a 2-day show at the Boardwalk, the album was leaked onto the Internet through various websites on April 4, 2015.
Music
Exclaim! described the music on Instant Gratification as "experimental math-rock infused with post-hardcore".
Track 10 is listed as "Death of the Strawberry Swisher" in the inner note of the album.
Tour
In support of the album, Dance Gavin Dance announced The Instant Gratification Tour in North America with supporting acts Polyphia, Hail the Sun, and Stolas. The tour began on April 14 and concluded on May 8, 2015.
Critical reception
Instant Gratification received generally positive reviews from music critics.
Branan Ranjanathan from Exclaim!, called the record "a culmination of the band's growth over the years," further writing that the band have managed "to outdo themselves...by exploiting all of the strongest points of their previous records."
Sputnikmusic rated the album as a 3.7 out of 5, or "Excellent", on a user aggregate system, with one review on the site noting that the more you listened to the album the more gratification it gave the listener.
Similarly, Mark Johnson of FDRMX gave the album a 4.5 out of 5, saying "this album reminds us just how much fun music can be".
In another strong review, Steve Alcala of Absolutepunk said the album "feels like a strong return to form for a band that's well adjusted in its own sound and aura", while noting the many lineup changes the band has endured is evident in the music over its 10-year catalog.
Chart performance
Instant Gratification debuted and peaked at number 32 on the U.S. Billboard 200 Albums Chart, number 15 on the Billboard Digital Albums chart, number 2 on the Billboard Hard Rock and Top Rock Album charts, and topped the Billboard Independent Albums chart. The album sold 15,000 copies in its first week in the US, making it the bands best selling album.