"Dancer" is a song by the British
rock band
Idles, released on October 18, 2023 as the lead single from their album ''
Tangk'', released in February 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
LCD Soundsystem is an American rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2002 by James Murphy, co-founder of DFA Records. The band comprises Murphy (vocals, various instruments), Nancy Whang (synthesizer, keyboards, vocals), Pat Mahoney (dr ...
.
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
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
account on October 4. Later Instagram posts on October 6 and October 12 revealed the song's release date and single cover, respectively. On October 18, 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. As described by ''
Music Feeds'', the music video "
eaturesthe band in mock-
ABBA mode, white suits and all
sthey strut towards the camera while the pounding music unfurls around them.
t also showsa janitor blasting the track through their headphones while they get through a particularly menial shift".
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". ''
Uproxx'' praised frontman
Joe Talbot's vocals as "
akingcommand
eigningover the dance floor", while ''
American Songwriter'' commented that the backing vocals from members of LCD Soundsystem "
endthemselves to a spooky, urgent tone that complements Talbot’s guttural, grungy voice", and also added that "there’s a note of
yricalinnuendo"
''Consequence'' described it as "swampy, spine-tingling,
ndhypnotic", 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".
Regarding its overall style, ''
Medium'' commented that the song is "
eminiscentof
disco
Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...
, 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". 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".
References
{{LCD Soundsystem
2023 singles
2023 songs
Idles (band) songs
LCD Soundsystem songs
Song recordings produced by Kenny Beats
Song recordings produced by Nigel Godrich