Why DGD’s “Strawberry’s Wake” is Jon Mess’ Best Song Yet

WARNING! The video embedded in this article contains profanity. Reader discretion is advised.

Now at the point in their careers that exemplifies their longevity, Dance Gavin Dance is set to release album number ten, Afterburner, on April 24th, 2019. This announcement came with the single “Prisoner,” which made for another great addition to the band’s history with groovy riffs, vocalist TIlian doing a rare scream, and unclean vocalist Jon Mess’ appearance in the music video displaying him chilling out on a couch while delivering vicious vocals becoming a meme within the DGD community.

On March 12th, the band released the next single, “Strawberry Wake,” along with a music video showing the band on a discordant plane ride. A return to form, Tilian’s easy vocals soothe the listener in the verse before Jon’s unclean vocals unglue the listener from their seat. Typically, Mess’ lyrics are… a mess. They consist of a combination of words that bode well rhythmically, but cohesively, not so much. An example would be the closing lyrics of “Prisoner:” “Classic acid, put me back in the casket, weave me into the fabric, the filter is freaking out“. While the words rhyme, as a whole, the sentence fluency comes into question.

“Strawberry Wake” sees Jon continue some of his perplexing lyricism, but it manages to stay on track with the thematic tone of the song, with “I want you to matter to you, forget those backstabbers” tying in with Tilian’s “If you feel your feelings, let the feelings heal your f***ed up mind“. In addition, Jon’s sing-songy delivery of his unclean vocals when overlapping with Tilian in the verses and this post-chorus see him switch up his pitch, something he hasn’t excessively done since the previous Strawberry track, “Death of a Strawberry,” in 2015.

Jon’s performance has done nothing but improve with each new DGD album (most drastically between his time off from Dance Gavin Dance to Downtown Battle Mountain II), and Afterburner is no exception. While unclean vocals can usually detract someone from listening to this genre, Jon’s are a blast to scream along with, and “Strawberry Wake”s focused shouts of “Hey!” and “I want YOU” are immensely enjoyable. My excitement for Afterburner is intense, as I look forward to not only Jon’s artistry but the entire band’s!