I appreciate records such as ‘Dance in the Bar’. You see, an energetic and potent piece, the single threads the fine line between nostalgia and euphoria, borrowing from popular post-punk allure and hints of emo flair. Whichever way you look at it, ‘Dance in the Bar’ doesn’t seek to reinvent the wheel. Simply, it repackages Chris Quesnel‘s introspective, personal lyricism into a friendly and popular aural livery, making for a record that’s potentially targeted to a wide audience. Given the recent resurgence of post-punk (and late 90s tropes), we feel as though this is an endeavour worth pursuing.
To achieve his goals, the Montreal-based creative has teamed up with producer Fushi Agato and mixing engineer Jean-François Vézina, helping the Canadian artist bring the track over the finish line. The end result is really good: a short, punchy and intense forays into post-punk heaven. Mentioning Simple Plan and Blink 182 as some of his influences, Quesnel is adamant about his willingness to honour the greats while pushing boundaries forward. ‘Dance in the Bar’ reaches the perfect meeting point between past and present; a record that’s familiar and contextualised, yet never obvious or clichés.
Delving deeper into the song, Quesnel explains: “This song was inspired by a trip I took to LA for music. While I was there, I met this beautiful girl at a bar. I had come late to the bar and saw her with her friend, and we talked and instantly hit it off, spending two days together. The song captures that moment, dancing with her and feeling a connection, wishing it could last longer than just those two days.”
Recommended! Discover ‘Dance in the Bar’ on Spotify:
