Where most bands erroneously claim wholly distinct identities, Dance Gavin Dance truly defies categorization. The Sacramento based outfit possess the kind of artistic compass shared with broadminded but heavy metal & hardcore-punk rooted iconoclasts like The Mars Volta and Coheed & Cambria, but use it to diverge wildly, charting a new course that incorporates the melodic screamo of Thursday or Taking Back Sunday, with a taste of the earnest pop melancholy of Death Cab For Cutie.

The current & most definitive incarnation of Dance Gavin Dance is responsible for half of the band’s albums.

There’s the angelic & R&B infused highs of the sweet voiced Tilian Pearson; the unhinged guttural growls & chaotic screams of cofounder Jon Mess; the dizzyingly unpredictable arpeggio-led guitar crunch of cofounder Will Swan; the soulful poly-rhythmic backbone of longtime bassist Tim Feerick; & the mind-blowingly powerful nuanced foundation laid by drummer and cofounder Matt Mingus.

Now more than a dozen years on from their inception, Dance Gavin Dance celebrates an insurgent career, in the tradition of iconoclastic artists from Frank Zappa to Nirvana who did what they wanted, how they wanted, confident that an audience would catch-up. Eight studio albums deep, a thriving fanbase champions the band’s irreverent diversity & propulsive power.

Isaac Wilson and former bassist, Anthony Pacheco met through pretty ordinary circumstances, but they have been stirring up a graceful maelstrom, bending the foundations of progressive rock music ever since. The duo achieves their sound by fusing perpetually mutating polyrhythms, lush chords, and smooth melodies. Though their songs are dense and virtuosic, they have a childlike playfulness that lies underneath; imagine an olympic gold medal swimmer enchanted by dancing bubbles. However, there are sharks in the water, and sometimes they’re drawn to the surface by an aggressive riff or a guttural vocal. Moments like these never overstay their welcome. If there’s one message Dwellings wants to spread, it’s that no obstacle is worth sacrificing your happiness; the best way to overcome something is by moving forward and having a bit of fun while you’re at it.