I got into them in early 2008, I was looking for more bands like Thursday and they were a recommended artist. Downloaded some tracks on linewire to see what they sounded like and once I heard backwards pumpkin it was game over
I started listening to them in spring of 2011, just before I graduated high school. I’d known about them for years tho, but shrugged them off for absolutely ridiculous reasons. I think what hooked me was seeing Tree Village posted somewhere I considered “reputable” (honestly probably AP lol). I pretty much only fucked with Kurt-era stuff then, and by the time Acceptance Speech came out I felt “over” them. Similarly to Jake tho, in anticipation of Artificial Selection, I revisited their discography and they were all I listened to for a solid 2 weeks, and all the releases I wasn’t into or didn’t give a chance all clicked for me. Now I’d honestly probably consider them one of my favorite bands overall.
I started listening to them much more recently: in 2016 for some reason I was getting a google alert saying "You may be interested in: New album by Dance Gavin Dance: Mothership." I didn't really know them (My only experience with the band up to that point was stumbling upon the videos for 'We Own The Night' and 'Young Robot' and somewhere between the progressive instrumentals and Tilian's drippy vocals It never really clicked) but for some reason I went and out of curiosity listened to the album's first few songs: I LOVED IT. But then I never really listened to it again tbh. Until they were announced for Warped and remembered fondly my experience listening to Mothership so I went ahead and downloaded and listened through their whole discography over a few weeks and I absolutely fell in love. Then I saw them at Warped and the rest is history.
I was searching YouTube for Chino features(which btw his features are all p cool), and I saw Caviar. Fell in love, and got S/T the next day. This was 2010, and I had no clue about JC. Then I heard DBM a month later. Been in love with the band ever since.
I got into DGD around 2011 during DBMII era. I was still kind of in my shitty metalcore phase at that point lol... I was listening to Woe Is Me's album "Numbers", and there were two songs with guest vocals by "Jonny Craig of Emarosa". I loved his vocals, so immediately checked out Emarosa and fell in love with them, they were basically the first post-hardcore band in that style I had listened to. A week or two later I discovered that Jonny was also in another band called Dance Gavin Dance... and I've been a huge fan ever since. I've met a lot of awesome IRL and online friends through my love of DGD and "Swancore", and it's crazy to think their music has come to mean so much to me over the years.
I don't remember exactly where I first heard DGD, but it was probably from recommended artist via iTunes. First song was Times New Romans back in 2007 and I loved it, but I literally sat on that song for over a year. I didn't check out any other song for some odd reason, but thankfully one day in 2009 I was at a friend's house and his sister was playing Nicotine Armoire Pt. 2. I asked who they were and she told me DGD and I was like "I know that band!" lol. I got home and found others like Zoloft, Uneasy Hearts, Lemon Meringue, etc. I wasn't gonna make the same mistake twice, so that summer I got Happiness for my birthday. The following year I got to see them live right before Kurt left.. trying to remember the name of the tour. Scream like you mean it I think. Conclusion.. I love this band.
Got into DGD because I Loooooooooooooooooooooooved Lower Definition and somehow had randomly become a fan of them on Purevolume or something of the like. Heard "Pueblo Cicada" for the first time when The Greatest Of All Lost Arts came out (which turned ten years old yesterday as a matter of fact, and all the members teased a reunion on instagram), and immediately was like who was that guy featured? Searched it, found out about Jonny and DGD and the rest is history. They were on tour for DBM at that time and shortly after I became a huge fan of him/DGD, all the initial drama of Jonny being kicked out and what not began. I'll never forget how much of a big deal line-up changes and band member drama was such a big deal in that music scene/myspace.
Only started listening to DGD in 2013/2014 because of Tilian. Was a huge fan of Tides of Man with him. Reason AS1 is my favorite is because it's the most ToM-like record (even though obviously it's still a far cry haha). Even now, I've yet to get into the pre-Tilian stuff. I've given it a few tries with not much success. Happiness is so highly regarded and I love Kurt's vocals on Shelf Life, but somehow I just don't get even that record. Kurt is more off key and the instrumentals just seem less grounded/melodic than their more recent stuff, I guess. Probably need to give it a more serious back-to-back listen soon.
In the ~’07 era I was just downloading songs off limewire from any new “screamo” band I heard of and DGD was one of em. Probably stumbled upon em on MySpace first. I was hooked instantly on backwards pumpkin and open your eyes.
um... off key? no. where? did Self Titled at least go down any better for you than Happiness? between Caviar, Skyhook, Uneasy Hearts, Alex English, Reprogramming etc. its very melodic. best album.
Open Your Eyes and Look North was on a Rise sampler and i think the only song on it I really like or remember finding a band from
Found DGD while iTunes surfing when I first got into all the ~mid 2000s scene-core stuff and we've been inseparable ever since. One of the first of the genre for me, and one of a small handful of surviving bands from that era as well. Thank fuck 'cause I was in so deep. Truly dark times.
I'm listening to IG and this album has been really clicking for me. Lots of really cool stuff going on here. I think all of these songs range from very good to downright great: We Own The Night Stroke God Millionaire Something New On The Run Awkward The Cuddler Death Of A Strawberry Variation Lost