Happiness

*Happiness* is Dance Gavin Dance\'s first album recorded without screaming singer Jonathan Mess, but guitarist Will Swan lends his larynx for the tantrums, and on the stormy opener “Tree Village” it’s evident that he can hold his own on simultaneous six-string and vocal chord shredding. Swan really shines on “NASA,” where his beefy tone intertwines with frontman Kurt Travis’ boyish vocals while growling guitars lunge like panthers at a machinegun approximating rhythm section. Dance Gavin Dance take a slight detour with the jazzy “Carl Barker,” and they further their foray into flirting with different genres on the romantic “Strawberry Swisher, Pt. 1,” a R&B-tinged number that has Travis cooing soulful inflections to a fleeting muse. Similarly “Strawberry Swisher, Pt. 2” is so summery and even groovy that it could be mistaken for a lost Phoenix outtake before the chorus kicks in. Though countless lineup changes have forced the band to experiment outside their element, *Happiness* shows a maturing band confident enough to break from the mold and try on new styles with successful results.

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