Dancer (Idles song)

Last updated

"Dancer"
Idles - Dancer.png
Single by Idles featuring LCD Soundsystem
from the album Tangk
Released19 October 2023 (2023-10-19)
Genre
Length3:09
Label Partisan
Producers
Idles singles chronology
"Crawl!"
(2022)
"Dancer"
(2023)
"Grace"
(2023)
LCD Soundsystem singles chronology
"New Body Rhumba"
(2022)
"Dancer"
(2023)
"X-Ray Eyes"
(2024)

"Dancer" is a song by the British rock band Idles, released on October 19, 2023 as the lead single from their album Tangk , released on February 29, 2024. It was their first new music since their 2021 album Crawler , and it features backing vocals from James Murphy and Nancy Whang of LCD Soundsystem.

Contents

Release

"Dancer" was first teased with an audio snippet in a YouTube video uploaded to the band's official channel on September 20, 2023, while its title was revealed in another snippet posted to their official Instagram account on October 4. [4] [5] Later Instagram posts on October 6 and October 12 revealed the song's release date and single cover, respectively. [6] [7] On October 19, the song was released along with a music video uploaded to YouTube, as well as an announcement of the album's title and release date. [8] [9] As described by Music Feeds , the music video "[features] the band in mock-ABBA mode, white suits and all [as] they strut towards the camera while the pounding music unfurls around them. [It also shows] a janitor blasting the track through their headphones while they get through a particularly menial shift". [10]

Reception

"Dancer" was met with primarily positive reviews. Rolling Stone described the "raucous" song as showing the band's "trademark post-punk instrumentals mix with [...] a poppier and more melodic chorus", while Hot Press characterized the "playful and scuzzy" track by its "heavy bass, dirty guitar riffs, and joyous vocals". [11] [12] [13] Uproxx praised frontman Joe Talbot's vocals as "[taking] command [reigning] over the dance floor", while American Songwriter commented that the backing vocals from members of LCD Soundsystem "[lend] themselves to a spooky, urgent tone that complements Talbot’s guttural, grungy voice", and also added that "there’s a note of [lyrical] innuendo" [14] [15] Consequence described it as "swampy, spine-tingling, [and] hypnotic", naming it the "song of the week" on October 20 and commenting that "being hip-to-hip and cheek-to-cheek has rarely sounded so visceral". [16]

Regarding its overall style, Medium commented that the song is "[reminiscent] of disco, but with loud guitars instead of funky, electronic beats" and that it shows the band "make an effort to artistic boundaries" as they "put a rhythmic spin on their sound". [17] The comparison to this genre was furthered by Music Feeds ' conclusion that "IDLES have entered their disco era – albeit with a great deal of sweat, horror, and aggression laced with something that looks a little like love, if you squint at it sideways". [18]

References

  1. ↑ "IDLES announce new single 'Dancer'". Rolling Stone UK . 6 September 2023.
  2. ↑ "Morning Becomes Eclectic playlist, October 19, 2023". KCRW . 18 September 2023.
  3. ↑ "IDLES Announce New Album, Go Disco in Video for Lead Single 'Dancer'". Music Feeds . 19 October 2023.
  4. ↑ LOVE IS THE FING #idles #shorts , retrieved 18 October 2023
  5. ↑ Dunworth, Liberty (4 October 2023). "IDLES tease raucous new single 'Dancer'". NME. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  6. ↑ "Instagram" . Retrieved 18 October 2023– via Instagram.
  7. ↑ "Instagram" . Retrieved 18 October 2023– via Instagram.
  8. ↑ "Idles – Dancer (Official Video)". YouTube . Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  9. ↑ "Idles Announce New Album Tangk, Enlist LCD Soundsystem for New Song". Pitchfork. 18 October 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  10. ↑ Earp, Joseph (19 October 2023). "IDLES Announce New Album, Go Disco in Video for Lead Single 'Dancer'". Music Feeds. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  11. ↑ Zemler, Emily (18 October 2023). "Idles Tap LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy, Nancy Whang for Raucous Single 'Dancer'". Rolling Stone . Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  12. ↑ Richards, Will (4 October 2023). "Idles announce new single 'Dancer'". Rolling Stone UK . Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  13. ↑ Browne, Niamh. "Idles announce new album Tangk". Hot Press . Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  14. ↑ "Idles Announced New Album Tangk, Shared 'Dancer' Video". Uproxx . 18 October 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  15. ↑ Boisvert, Lauren (18 October 2023). "Listen: IDLES Release New Single, Announce Album 'TANGK'". American Songwriter. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  16. ↑ "IDLES' "Dancer" Is Our Song of the Week". 20 October 2023. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  17. ↑ Duguay, Rob (18 October 2023). "Idles Put a Rhythmic Spin on Their Sound With 'Dancer'". Culture Beat. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  18. ↑ Earp, Joseph (19 October 2023). "IDLES Announce New Album, Go Disco in Video for Lead Single 'Dancer'". Music Feeds. Retrieved 19 October 2023.