Contrary to the modern custom of online streaming, Chicago-based duo Dance Loud has been building up its repertoire of dynamic house music for over a decade now, taking the preferred avenue of live instrumental performances. It’s a method that has helped inspire their unique blend of jazz drums and electrifying synths, earning them profiles in The Chicago Tribune and New York’s “The Public”. But a rather horrific car accident in 2017 left them with a clear purpose—to record a debut album. Entitled, The Moment, it will encompass all the energy of a live show in a string of singles inspired by both analog and digital sounds, field recordings, and enchanting vocals. The work of which can all be witnessed in their newest single, “Shady Beach.”
As you may have guessed by its unique release date, “Shady Beach” is a song inspired by the positive viewpoint of a favourable high. The duo (also a real-life couple) firmly believes in the theory that the energy you put out into the universe gets reciprocated three times over. So with that in mind, they kept the track simple. After all, if you want a clear, settled mind and a full heart, you can’t go screaming out into the wild.
Zimmerman’s vocals melt into the soft-toned bassline, careful not to upset the balance of chirping synths and barely-there high hat rhythms. Though none of the elements used in this track seem psychedelic, the chopped up looping vocals carefully dancing atop the pleading guitar chords leave an other-worldly taste in your mouth. Sunset-tinged colours and wavy shapes form out of thin air, bringing their message to life —”go brighten somebody’s day ‘cuz nobody likes a selfish shady beach”—in ways that plain lyrics never could. Amplified by their accompanying visuals, where Sanchez inspires others to pay-it-forward through the simple gesture of giving out free pizza slices, Dance Loud’s “Shady Beach” is the perfect antidote to the collective fear we are all feeling right now. It’s moments like this—among many other stories we’ve seen surface during this world pandemic—that remind us of the power of kindness, and taking comfort in the little things, whatever they may be.
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