"Head Hunter" is a song performed by American
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band
Dance Gavin Dance
Dance Gavin Dance is an American rock band from Sacramento, California, formed in 2005. The band currently consists of vocalists Jon Mess and Tilian Pearson, lead guitarist Will Swan, rhythm guitarist Andrew Wells, and drummer Matthew Mingus. ...
. 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
Tilian Pearson (born July 12, 1987), also known mononymously as Tilian, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer born in Clearwater, Florida. Since 2012 he has been the third clean vocalist for the post-hardcore band Danc ...
and Jon Mess, with the music composed by the band with additional guitar and vocals from
Eidola guitarist Andrew Wells.
Background
Dance Gavin Dance released their eighth studio album, ''
Artificial Selection'', on June 8, 2018, on Rise Records. In support of the album, the band toured on
The Artificial Selection Tour
''Artificial Selection'' is the eighth studio album by American rock band Dance Gavin Dance, released on June 8, 2018, on Rise Records. It is the follow-up to the band's seventh studio album, ''Mothership'' (2016) and is their third consecutive ...
, as well as touring as support on American
post-hardcore band
Underoath
Underoath (stylized as Underøath or UnderOath) is an American rock band from Tampa, Florida. It was founded by lead vocalist Dallas Taylor and guitarist Luke Morton on November 30, 1997, in Ocala, Florida; subsequently, its additional memb ...
's headlining North American tours in 2018.
Recording
On January 22, 2019, Dance Gavin Dance's lead guitarist
Will Swan revealed on
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
that he was recording new material in
Portland,
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
, at
Kris Crummett
Kris Crummett is an American record producer and owner of the Interlace Audio in Portland, Oregon. Crummett started recording in 2002. He has worked with many notable indie music record labels, including Rise Records, Epitaph Records, Fearless Re ...
's recording studio Interlace Audio. On the same day, vocalist Tilian Pearson replied to Swan's tweet stating "Be there in a couple days!"
It was produced, mixed, and mastered by Crummett with audio engineering handled by Ricky Orozco and assistance from GiGi Zimmer.
The band's touring guitarist Andrew Wells performed rhythm guitar and backing vocals on the track, with additional backing vocals from Will Swan.
Promotion
In support of "Head Hunter", the track was performed at the group's first annual headlining festival, SwanFest, and on the remainder of their
Artificial Selection Tour, from March to May 2019. A music video premiered on the same day of the single's release. The band's label Rise Records released 7 inch
LP vinyl and t-shirt bundles on their website.
Music video
The music video for "Head Hunter" premiered on the same day of the single's digital download release, on March 22, 2019. According to
Alternative Press
Alternative press may refer to:
Individual publications
* ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine
Alternative journalism
* Alternative media
** Alternative media (U.S. political left)
** Alternative media (U.S. political ri ...
, "
.the video shows an intense shootout that takes an unexpected turn. Make sure to watch through to the end, but we can give you one hint — let them eat cake." The video features multiple easter eggs and references from the group's previously released music and videos, including references from the music video for "Inspire the Liars" and a lyric from their 2008 song "Rock Solid".
The music video garnered 408,000 views within its first week.
Artwork
The single's cover art was illustrated by Mattias Adolfsson who has illustrated all of the group's studio albums since their 2007 debut studio album ''
Downtown Battle Mountain
''Downtown Battle Mountain'' is the debut studio album by American post-hardcore band Dance Gavin Dance, released on May 15, 2007, on Rise Records. The album serves as a follow-up to the band's debut extended play, '' Whatever I Say Is Royal O ...
''.
Replying to a fan on
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...
, speaking about the single art, Adolfsson confirmed that the illustration was not the full art and that the second half will be for the band's follow-up single.
The follow-up single, "
Blood Wolf", was released with the other half of the artwork on October 11, 2019.
Credits and personnel
;Dance Gavin Dance
*
Tilian Pearson
Tilian Pearson (born July 12, 1987), also known mononymously as Tilian, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer born in Clearwater, Florida. Since 2012 he has been the third clean vocalist for the post-hardcore band Danc ...
– clean vocals
* Jon Mess – unclean vocals
* Tim Feerick – bass guitar
*
Will Swan – lead guitar, backing vocals
* Matthew Mingus – drums, percussion
;Additional personnel
* Andrew Wells – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
;Production
* Kris Crummett – production, mixing engineer
* Ricky Orozco – audio engineer
* GiGi Zimmer – assistant engineer
References
{{authority control
2019 singles
2019 songs
Dance Gavin Dance songs
Rise Records singles