After the first single release of “Charm & Circumstance”, we knew that Dance Movie was bringing a wealth of buzzing, lovelorn energy to their latest album Containment. But the Haligonian indie-rockers elevate this infectiously introspective mood to new heights with the full album. At the core of this release is a clear, yearning heart, but the pieces that orbit around it swing between reckless abandon and a deep malaise.
Containment is a short but bittersweet offering. Brimming with aware angst, the six tracks all gravitate towards varying feels of lament. “Charm & Circumstance” is the strongest evidence for the positive side of this spectrum, racing like a heartbeat full of hope and worry, while “The Pattern” shows us the weighty, brooding side of the group. The gently bared heart amongst the electric momentum surrounding it gives strong Sleater-Kinney and Angel Olsen vibes, even showing some notes of The Cranberries.
Tara Thorne’s vocals serve as both the anchor and the vehicle that we explore these songs through. Steady and even, clear and direct, her voice carries the listener through the songs, perfectly delivering the understated connections and emphatic proclamations of the lyrics. Her talents-as well as the soul of the album-are most evident on pared-down album closer “A Stand-in”, with nothing but intimate guitar and her emotive voice:
“Tiny poems,
Scar my heart and splendour,
Songs in your hair,
A warm night in December,
Leaving,
Heaving,
Losing everything,
Bedside,
Curbside,
I’ll hold on forever”
If Thorne’s words are what carry us on the ride, Rebecca Zolkower’s guitar work is what paints the colours of the world outside the window, while Sean MacGillivary’s percussion and Trevor Murphy’s bass are a strongly paved but wonderfully winding road to hold things steady. The group is tightly simpatico, and while there are elements of the mix and harmonies that at times don’t strengthen the sound as much as they could, this pensive drive is executed wonderfully in every aspect.
Containment is a strong return for Dance Movie. Living up to the moody nostalgia their name evokes, the album takes the band’s previous formula and, rather than alter it, intensifies it. It is ripe with the confidence of a group that knows their communal voice, and with a route drifting effortlessly between the highs and lows of the heart, it’s well worth the ride.