"Prisoner" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Dance Gavin Dance | ||||
from the album Afterburner | ||||
Released | February 21, 2020 | |||
Recorded | 2019 | |||
Studio | Interlace Audio Recording Studios, Portland, Oregon | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:47 | |||
Label | Rise | |||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) | ||||
Dance Gavin Dance singles chronology | ||||
|
"Prisoner" is a song by American rock band Dance Gavin Dance. It was released to digital download and streaming services as the lead single from their ninth studio album, Afterburner , on February 21, 2020, by Rise Records. The song features an uncredited guest appearance from Royal Coda and Eidola guitarist Sergio Medina.
The song was produced by Kris Crummett while Drew Fulk handled vocal production. Lyrically, the track is about hallucinogens and deals with topics of idolatry while sonically, it has been compared to the band's 2009 studio album, Happiness due to its progressive rock and funk rock nature.
Following extensive touring in support of their eighth studio album Artificial Selection (2018), Dance Gavin Dance began recording sessions for their ninth studio album. Prior to the Artificial Selection Tour, the group held a recording session in January 2019 with producer Kris Crummett at Interlace Audio in Portland, Oregon. The band released the stand-alone single "Head Hunter" on March 22, 2019, [4] and a second stand-alone single "Blood Wolf", on October 11. [5]
On February 20, 2020, Dance Gavin Dance began teasing new music. The following day, the band released "Prisoner", accompanied with its music video, and announced their ninth studio album, Afterburner . [3]
"Prisoner" is a post-hardcore, progressive rock, and funk rock track with a runtime of 3 minutes and 47 seconds. The instrumentation was written by Dance Gavin Dance with additional guitar performed by Sergio Medina. The track has a BPM of 125 and is in the key of F-sharp minor. [6]
The music video for "Prisoner" was released on the same day of the single's release, on February 21, 2020. [7] The video depicts a standard one-shot scene of Dance Gavin Dance performing in a color-changing room with palm trees in a psychedelic atmosphere. It was directed by Orie McGinness and Sam Hallen, the latter of which who's directed the videos for "Inspire the Liars" and "Head Hunter". Additionally, the video was produced by Mike Taylor and coordinated by Veronica Zin.
Dance Gavin Dance is an American rock band from Sacramento, California, formed in 2005. The band currently consists of vocalists Tilian Pearson and Jon Mess, lead guitarist Will Swan, rhythm guitarist Andrew Wells, bass guitarist Tim Feerick, and drummer Matthew Mingus. The band formerly included lead vocalists Jonny Craig and Kurt Travis, and the lineup has changed several times since their inception. Swan and Mingus are the only band members who have appeared on every studio album.
Dance Gavin Dance is the self-titled second studio album by American rock band Dance Gavin Dance, released on August 19, 2008, on Rise Records. The album is a follow-up to the band's full-length debut studio album, Downtown Battle Mountain (2007), and is their first studio release to feature clean vocalist Kurt Travis and rhythm guitarist Zachary Garren, who replaced Jonny Craig and Sean O'Sullivan, respectively, in 2007. The album was produced, mixed, and mastered by Kris Crummett and recorded in Portland, Oregon. Following its release, the album peaked at number 172 on the Billboard 200 and 26 on the Top Independent Albums chart.
Happiness is the third studio album by American rock band Dance Gavin Dance, released on June 9, 2009, on Rise Records. It is the band's second consecutive, and final, studio album to feature Kurt Travis on clean vocals and Zachary Garren on rhythm guitar, and is their first studio album to not feature founding member, screaming vocalist Jon Mess, who departed from the line-up in 2008. It is also the group's only studio album to feature bass guitarist Jason Ellis and is their only release to feature screaming vocals from lead guitarist Will Swan. The album serves as a follow-up to the group's sophomore studio album, Dance Gavin Dance (2008) and was produced by Kris Crummett, who recorded the album with the band in Portland, Oregon at Interlace Audio Recording Studio in February 2009. Following its release, the album peaked at No. 145 on the Billboard 200 and No. 30 on the Top Independent Albums chart.
Acceptance Speech is the fifth studio album by American rock band Dance Gavin Dance, released on October 8, 2013, on Rise Records. The album serves as a follow-up to the band's fourth studio album, Downtown Battle Mountain II (2011), and is the band's first studio album to feature clean vocalist Tilian Pearson, bass guitarist Tim Feerick, and guitarist Josh Benton. It is the band's only studio album to feature Benton on rhythm guitar, who departed shortly after the album's release. The album was produced by Matt Malpass, which marks the band's first and only studio album to not be produced by Kris Crummett, who has produced all of the band's previous releases since Whatever I Say Is Royal Ocean (2006).
Will Swan is an American musician born in San Francisco, California. He is most prominently known as the lead guitarist and founder of the American post-hardcore band Dance Gavin Dance and as the founder of his record label Blue Swan Records. He is also the guitarist for the American rock bands Sianvar, Secret Band, and Royal Coda.
Sianvar is an American progressive rock band from Sacramento, California, formed in 2013. The group currently consists of lead vocalist Donovan Melero, guitarists Will Swan and Sergio Medina, and drummer Joseph Arrington. The band is signed to Swan's independent record label Blue Swan Records. They released their debut self-titled EP on January 5, 2014 and their debut full-length studio album, Stay Lost, in August 2016. The band announced an indefinite hiatus on April 8, 2019.
Mothership is the seventh studio album by American rock band Dance Gavin Dance, released on October 7, 2016, on Rise Records. The album serves as a follow-up the group's sixth studio album, Instant Gratification (2015), and is their second consecutive studio release with the same consistent line-up. The album was produced by Kris Crummett. Upon its release, the album sold over 19,000 copies within its first week in retail, debuting at No. 13 on the Billboard 200.
Stay Lost is the debut full-length studio album by American post-hardcore band Sianvar, released on August 5, 2016, on Blue Swan Records. The album serves as a follow-up to the band's 2014 debut EP, Sianvar. It is the band's only studio album to feature bass guitarist Michael Franzino and is the final release before the group announced its indefinite hiatus in April 2019.
Royal Coda is an American rock band based in Sacramento, California, formed in 2017. The band currently consists of lead vocalist Kurt Travis, guitarists Sergio Medina and Will Swan, bass guitarist Steffen Gotsch, and drummer Joseph Arrington.
The Skeptic is the third solo studio album by American singer-songwriter and Dance Gavin Dance vocalist Tilian Pearson, released on September 28, 2018, through Future Friends and Rise Records. The album is a follow-up to his second studio album, Perfect Enemy (2015), and is his first solo release on Rise since departing with Vital Records. The album was produced by Kris Crummett, who performed drums and percussion on the record, while Pearson performed guitar, keyboards, and bass guitar.
Eidola is an American rock band from Salt Lake City, Utah, formed in 2011. The band consists of lead vocalist, composer and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Wells, lead guitarist Sergio Medina, bass guitarist James Johnson, rhythm guitarist and unclean vocalist Matthew Dommer, and drummer Matthew Hansen. They self-released their debut studio album, The Great Glass Elephant, in 2012. The group signed to Blue Swan Records in 2014 and released their second and third albums, Degeneraterra (2015) and To Speak, To Listen (2017). In December 2017, lead guitarist Brandon Bascom left the band and was replaced by Royal Coda guitarist Sergio Medina.
"Head Hunter" is a song performed by American rock band Dance Gavin Dance. It was released as a single for digital download and streaming on March 22, 2019, through Rise Records. It serves as a stand-alone single and will not be featured on the group's recent ninth studio album, and is the first piece of new music since the band's eighth studio album, Artificial Selection (2018). It was written by the band's vocalists Tilian Pearson and Jon Mess, with the music composed by the band with additional guitar and vocals from Eidola guitarist Andrew Wells.
Compassion is the second full-length studio album by American post-hardcore band Royal Coda. It was released on November 7, 2019, on Blue Swan Records, and serves as a follow-up to their self-titled debut studio album. It is the band's first album to feature guitarist Will Swan and was produced by Kris Crummett.
"Blood Wolf" is a song performed by the American rock band Dance Gavin Dance. It was released as a single for digital download and streaming on October 11, 2019, by Rise Records. It is a b-side to the band's 2019 single "Head Hunter". It was produced by Kris Crummett. Following its release, it charted at number 24 on the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart, the group's first career charting single.
Afterburner is the ninth full-length studio album by American rock band Dance Gavin Dance. Released on April 24, 2020, on Rise Records, the album serves as a follow-up the group's eighth studio album, Artificial Selection (2018). Recording sessions for the album took place over a five-month period between June and November 2019 with producer Kris Crummett at Interlace Audio in Portland, Oregon, while the vocals were recorded with producer Drew Fulk in Los Angeles, California. The album is considered a musical progression for the band, as the group experimented with funk, Latin, rap, and metalcore which accompany their archetypal post-hardcore and experimental rock style.
Tree City Sessions 2 is the third live album by American rock band Dance Gavin Dance, released on December 25, 2020, through Rise Records. It serves as a follow-up the group's 2016 live album Tree City Sessions and was mixed and mastered by Kris Crummett.
Factory Reset is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter and musician Tilian Pearson, released on April 23, 2021, through Future Friends and Rise Records. The album serves as a follow-up to his third studio album, The Skeptic (2018). Similar to The Skeptic, the album was produced by Kris Crummett, who also performed drums, while Tilian performed guitar, bass, keyboards, synthesizers, and handled additional production. It was written and recorded at the musician's home recording studio in Los Angeles during the COVID-19 pandemic, while engineering was handled at Crummett's Interlace Audio Studio in Portland, Oregon. The album shares the same pop rock and electro-pop musical styles from its predecessor while including elements of progressive rock, electronic rock, trap, and dancehall.
The Architect is the fourth full-length studio album by American rock band Eidola, released on September 17, 2021 through Blue Swan Records and Rise Records. The album serves as a follow-up to their third studio album, To Speak, To Listen (2017), and is their first to not feature rhythm guitarist Brandon Bascom, who departed from the band in December 2017 and was replaced by Royal Coda guitarist Sergio Medina. It is also the band's first release since their record label Blue Swan Records partnered with Rise in February 2021. The album was produced by Ian Cooperstein and Kris Crummett with recording sessions taking place at Interlace Audio in Portland, Oregon.
Sergio Medina is an American rock musician and songwriter. Born in El Paso, Texas, his family relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada where he attended the Las Vegas Academy of Performing Arts as a teenager. He is currently the lead guitarist in the American post-hardcore bands Eidola, Royal Coda, and Nova Charisma.
"Synergy" is a song by American rock band Dance Gavin Dance. Released as the lead single from their upcoming tenth full-length studio album, it was released to digital and streaming platforms on March 24, 2022, on Rise Records. It was written by the band with additional guitar parts from Louis Baltazar of American post-hardcore band Wolf & Bear and features guest vocals from Rob Damiani of English rock band Don Broco. It is the band's first release to feature Andrew Wells of American post-hardcore band Eidola as an official member since joining as a touring guitarist in 2015.