Jackpot Juicer

Jackpot Juicer
Studio album by
ReleasedJuly 29, 2022
RecordedApril–July 2021
StudioInterlace Audio
(Portland, Oregon)
Genre
Length62:57
LabelRise
ProducerKris Crummett
Dance Gavin Dance chronology
Tree City Sessions 2
(2020)
Jackpot Juicer
(2022)
Singles from Jackpot Juicer
  1. "Synergy"
    Released: March 24, 2022
  2. "Pop Off!"
    Released: May 4, 2022
  3. "Die Another Day"
    Released: July 7, 2022
  4. "Cream Of the Crop"
    Released: July 21, 2022
  5. "Feels Bad Man"
    Released: July 28, 2022

Jackpot Juicer is the tenth full-length studio album by American rock band Dance Gavin Dance, released on July 29, 2022, on Rise Records. It serves as the follow-up to their ninth studio album, Afterburner (2020). Produced by Kris Crummett, the album was recorded at Interlace Audio in Portland, Oregon, between April and July 2021 and is the band's longest album to date consisting of eighteen tracks and a runtime of one hour and three minutes. It is the band's first studio album to be credited as a sextet since Acceptance Speech (2013) as well as their first to feature Andrew Wells as an official member since joining as a touring guitarist in 2015. It is also their final release to feature bassist Tim Feerick, who died on April 13, 2022, and vocalist Tilian Pearson, who left the band in April 2024.

The lead single "Synergy", featuring Rob Damiani of English rock band Don Broco, was released on March 24, 2022. "Pop Off!" was released as the second single on May 4. Three more singles, "Die Another Day", "Cream Of the Crop", and "Feels Bad Man", were released in July. To support the album, the band performed at the second inaugural SwanFest on April 23, 2022, in Sacramento, California, followed by a headlining US spring tour in April and May with supporting acts Memphis May Fire, Volumes, and Moon Tooth. A summer tour transpired in July and August 2022 with support from American post-hardcore bands Royal Coda and Body Thief.

Background

[edit]

Prior to the release of their ninth studio album Afterburner (2020), the band had planned a spring tour in the US and Canada to take place in March and April 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tour was postponed multiple times.[4] On July 9, 2020, the band announced a full production multi-cam album release concert stream for Afterburner, which took place on July 17 to compensate for the tour's cancellation.[5] On December 19, 2020, the band broadcast their Tree City Sessions 2 concert streaming event in which the band performed a fan-voted set on the Tower Bridge in Sacramento, California.[6] The live album, Tree City Sessions 2, was released to digital and streaming services on December 25, 2020.[7]

On February 21, 2021, the band announced the rescheduled Afterburner Tour dates which spanned from September 7 to October 20, 2021, with support from Polyphia, Veil of Maya, Eidola, and Wolf & Bear. The tour was plagued by members of the band and touring crew falling ill to COVID-19 on multiple occasions.[8] However, the band continued to finish the run. In 2022, it was confirmed that Andrew Wells of American post-hardcore band Eidola had joined the band as an official member after having been a touring guitarist since November 2015.[9]

On April 14, 2022, the band released a statement announcing the death of longtime bassist Tim Feerick who died the night before.[10] In June, it was revealed that vocalist Tilian Pearson was stepping away from the band after allegations of sexual misconduct were brought to light.[11] He rejoined the band in November 2022.[12]

On December 30, 2022, the band released the Instrumental version of Jackpot Juicer.

Recording

[edit]

Recording sessions for the album took place between April and July 2021 at Interlace Audio with producer Kris Crummett in Portland, Oregon. On May 8, 2021, drummer Matthew Mingus revealed he was in the studio recording drums for the album.[13] On June 14, singer Tilian Pearson confirmed that he had begun recording vocals. On July 11, Pearson revealed that sessions for the album had concluded.[14] In a 2021 interview, guitarist Andrew Wells disclosed that the album will have "more songs than any other DGD album" and that Wolf & Bear guitarist Louie Baltazar had contributed guitar parts for the album. Royal Coda guitarist Sergio Medina wrote and recorded second guitar for the track "Back On Deck".

In an interview with Alternative Press, Pearson spoke about writing and recording vocals for the album and how it differed from previous sessions for past studio albums.[15] "We spent more time [recording the album] and we were in a really good environment. Jon [Mess, screamer], Andrew [Wells, vocalist of Eidola] and I rented an Airbnb and just chilled — probably for over a month for me and Jon. Because of that, we didn't take any more time on any songs — we just wrote more. It was mostly a positive experience the whole time. Jon and I collaborated more than we usually do, and that was nice. Andrew and I, too — he's on this album a lot." Also speaking on the musical aspect of the album, Pearson said "It's a bit bigger-sounding than usual for us. It sounds a little more like our live set than the clarity of Mothership, where you can hear every single note the guitar is playing. There's a little bit more of a togetherness to the sound. And because we had the most time to work on it, it's our longest album — I can reveal that." Jackpot Juicer is the band's longest studio album to date, consisting of 18 tracks and a runtime of one hour and three minutes.[16]

Promotion

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Tour

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Boolin Tunes9/10[17]
Rock N Load9/10[18]
Ghost Cult magazine7/10[19]
Sputnik Music[20]
Wall of Sound5/10[21]

On February 2, 2022, the band announced a US spring tour, which began on April 26 and concluded on May 20, with support from Memphis May Fire, Volumes, and Moon Tooth.[22] The band's second inaugural SwanFest, which featured performances from Animals As Leaders, Movements, and The Fall of Troy, among others, took place at Heart Health Park in Sacramento, California on April 23, 2022.[23] Originally, the band were to embark on American rock band Coheed & Cambria's A Window of the Waking Mind summer tour in July and August 2022, yet were removed following allegations of sexual assault being brought against Tilian Pearson.[24] The band announced a US summer tour on June 27, 2022, which spanned from July 26 to August 24, 2022, with support from American post-hardcore bands Royal Coda and Body Thief.[25] Due to Tilian's removal from the band, guitarist Andrew Wells took over lead vocal duties while Veil of Maya guitarist Marc Okubo performed second guitar and Royal Coda guitarist Sergio Medina played bass guitar.[26]

On March 1, 2022, they announced a headlining tour in the UK and Europe that will take place in September 2022 with support from Caskets, Eidola, and Volumes.[27] However, this tour was postponed to January 2023.[28] On April 25, 2022, it was announced that Dance Gavin Dance will support English rock band Don Broco on their four-date UK tour in March 2023 with Papa Roach.[29]

Singles

[edit]

On March 24, 2022, the band released the lead single, "Synergy", featuring Rob Damiani of English rock band Don Broco, to digital download and streaming services.[30] The music video premiered on the official Rise Records channel on YouTube on the same day, which was directed by Samuel Halleen, who previously directed the group's videos for "Betrayed By the Game", "Midnight Crusade", and "Head Hunter".[31] On May 4, 2022, the band released the album's second single, "Pop Off!", to digital and streaming services. The music video for "Pop Off!" premiered on the same day, which continued the storyline previously established in the video for "Synergy".[32]

On July 7, "Die Another Day" was released as the third single with its music video premiering on July 14.[33][34] "Cream Of the Crop" was released as the fourth single on July 21.[35] The fifth and final single, "Feels Bad Man", was released on July 28.[36]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Jonathan Mess, Matthew Mingus, Tilian Pearson, Timothy Feerick, Andrew Wells, and Will Swan; "Cream of the Crop" co-written by Nicholas Marsh

Jackpot Juicer track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Untitled 2"0:34
2."Cream of the Crop"3:39
3."Synergy" (featuring Rob Damiani)3:17
4."Holy Ghost Spirit"3:50
5."For the Jeers"4:11
6."Ember"3:46
7."Pop Off!"3:08
8."One Man's Cringe"3:43
9."Feels Bad Man"3:19
10."Die Another Day"3:41
11."Two Secret Weapons"3:30
12."Polka Dot Dobbins"2:45
13."Long Nights in Jail"3:04
14."Back on Deck"3:32
15."Current Events"4:17
16."Pray to God for Your Mother"3:49
17."Swallowed by Eternity"5:04
18."Have a Great Life"3:48
Total length:62:57

Personnel

[edit]

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for Jackpot Juicer
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[37] 98
Scottish Albums (OCC)[38] 51
UK Album Sales (OCC)[39] 35
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[40] 54
UK Physical Albums (OCC)[41] 38
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[42] 15
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[43] 3
US Billboard 200[44] 8

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "ALBUM REVIEW: Dance Gavin Dance - 'Jackpot Juicer'". 22 July 2022.
  2. ^ "Dance Gavin Dance's 'Jackpot Juicer' proves they're a one-of-a-kind band". 27 July 2022.
  3. ^ "Dance Gavin Dance announce new album 'Jackpot Juicer'". 21 April 2022.
  4. ^ "Dance Gavin Dance 'Afterburner Tour' postponed again". Nextmosh.com. February 13, 2021.
  5. ^ "DANCE GAVIN DANCE to Stream Pro-Shot, Multi-Camera Album Release Show". Lambgoat.com.
  6. ^ "Dance Gavin Dance Announce Livestream Concert Featuring Fan-Voted Setlist". Billboard.
  7. ^ "Tree City Sessions 2 by Dance Gavin Dance" – via Apple Music.
  8. ^ "Dance Gavin Dance Frontman Tilian Pearson to Sit Out Immediate Shows Due to Catching COVID-19". Theprp.com. September 17, 2021.
  9. ^ "Eidola on Instagram: "Ten years in the game and I'm still here. Making the music I want to make, with the people I want to make it with. I've been working with DGD since 2015 writing, recording, performing, and growing as a person. If you've ever supported me at any point in this journey, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. The road leading to this point hasn't been easy, but I'm grateful that I've been given the support and opportunities to persevere through so many obstacles in my life. To say to myself "I'm still alive, and I'm going to keep pursuing this no matter what." Thank you DGD for welcoming me into the fold. I'm excited for everything that's happening with all of the projects I'm working on. There's a lot of music to be made, and I'm humbled to be part of it. Much love, Andrew"".
  10. ^ "Tim Feerick, Dance Gavin Dance Bassist, Dies". Billboard.
  11. ^ "Dance Gavin Dance Vocalist Tilian Pearson Steps Away from Band After Sexual Assault Allegations". Billboard.
  12. ^ @tilianpearson (November 10, 2022). "Update" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  13. ^ "Matthew Mingus on Instagram: "Had a hecka fun weekend vibeing out all the bloops, blops and bleeps for the new @dancegavindance album. I think we are almost to full dad status in needing a stand up percussionist on stage live! 😂 #dancegavindance #percussion #lppercussion #dads"".
  14. ^ @tilianpearson (11 July 2021). "And that's a wrap on the new DGD vocals!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  15. ^ "Tilian Pearson reveals how taking psychedelics informed 'Factory Reset'". Alternative Press. January 25, 2022.
  16. ^ "Jackpot Juicer by Dance Gavin Dance".
  17. ^ "ALBUM REVIEW: Dance Gavin Dance - Jackpot Juicer". 19 July 2022.
  18. ^ "Dance Gavin Dance // Jackpot Juicer // Album Review". 29 July 2022.
  19. ^ ghost cult
  20. ^ "Review: Dance Gavin Dance - Jackpot Juicer | Sputnikmusic". www.sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  21. ^ wall of sound
  22. ^ "Dance Gavin Dance announce new album, will proceed with tour in wake of bassist's passing". 22 April 2022.
  23. ^ "SWANFEST | Official Site". Dgdswanfest. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  24. ^ "Coheed and Cambria announce Summer 2022 tour, unveil "The Liars Club" single: Stream". Consequence.net. February 22, 2022.
  25. ^ "Dance Gavin Dance Announce the Very Special 'An Evening with Friends Tour'". 27 June 2022.
  26. ^ @DGDtheband (27 June 2022). "Andrew will be filling in on vocals, our good friends Marc Okubo (@veilofmayaband) will be playing guitar and Sergi…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  27. ^ "Dance Gavin Dance Announce European/UK Tour". March 2022.
  28. ^ @DGDtheband (September 2, 2022). "🎰🧃Dance Gavin Dance🍓 on Twitter" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  29. ^ "Don Broco share new single 'Fingernails' and announce 2023 arena tour". NME. 26 April 2022.
  30. ^ "Synergy (Feat. Rob Damiani) - Single by Dance Gavin Dance" – via Apple Music.
  31. ^ Dance Gavin Dance - Synergy (Feat. Rob Damiani) (Official Music Video). riserecords. March 24, 2022. Archived from the original on April 23, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2022 – via YouTube.
  32. ^ "Dance Gavin Dance - Pop Off! (Official Music Video) - YouTube" – via YouTube.
  33. ^ "Dance Gavin Dance – Drop Brand New Track "Die Another Day"". 8 July 2022.
  34. ^ "Dance Gavin Dance - die Another Day (Official Music Video)". YouTube.
  35. ^ @DGDtheband (July 19, 2022). """Cream Of The Crop" dropping this Thursday at 8am PT/ 11am ET. https://t.co/NTdN2ie8Mg New album Jackpot Juicer out July 29th 🍓 Pre-order: https://t.co/TzukZaMoGc https://t.co/7TqLF2mVeR"" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  36. ^ Dance Gavin Dance - Feels Bad Man (Official Music Video), retrieved 2022-07-30
  37. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 8 August 2022". The ARIA Report. No. 1692. Australian Recording Industry Association. August 8, 2022. p. 6.
  38. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  39. ^ "Official Albums Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. August 5, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  40. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  41. ^ "Official Physical Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. August 5, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  42. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  43. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  44. ^ Caulfield, Keith (August 7, 2022). "Beyonce's 'Renaissance' Bows at No. 1 on Billboard 200 With Year's Biggest Debut By a Woman". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2022.