Reviewed by Juan Zambrano
Step in a Sway, the new single by Montreal’s art-pop duo Forces, combines elements of dance music’s past to create the most infectious dance floor staple in recent memory.
A good dance song needs two key elements, a good beat and an infectious groove. A great dance song takes these elements and pushes them forward. Step in a Sway is the latter.
The song starts simply enough, with a simple beat courtesy of a drum machine and light electric guitar. This simple starting arrangement meshes perfectly with the first set of lyrics, which tell of the protagonist’s isolation from the hustle and bustle of the dance floor.
A funky bass and synthesizer drop in at the second verse, as the protagonist is invited on to the dance floor. The instrumentation continues to expand as the protagonist finds their footing. A slightly more aggressive electric guitar enters the fray, building on the funk of the bass, while all other instruments become more pronounced. The song then toe taps along the rest of the verse, before smoothly transitioning into a confident strut.
This confident strut comes in the Step in a Sway’s chorus, as the guitars and bass transition from their funk leanings to full on disco and the party truly begins. Nile Rodgers and Daft Punk’s Get Lucky are not the only call backs present, as the contrast between the airy synths of the second verse and the sharp synths of the chorus harken slightly to the King of Pop’s iconic dance with the undead.
Melody is not the only area where Step in a Sway harkens to dance and pop music’s past. The vocal performance throughout is a clearly influenced by a in her prime Madonna, with a touch of the Spice Girls thrown in for good measure. This combination of vocal influences creates a confident performance that, like the melody, commands the listener to get down on the floor.
Such a hodgepodge of melodic and vocal homages seems like a jumbled mess on paper. In the hands of Forces, however, Step in a Sway feels timeless, focused, liberating and irresistibly groovy. Everything a great dance record should be.
Step in a Sway is the second release by Forces, but the first recording under that name. The duo describes the song as “an ode to all those who are first on the dance floor, giving the rest of us wallflowers the courage and inspiration to do the same.” A perfect description for a song that invites listeners to join in and set themselves free through the power of dance.
