Why Don't You Dance

With its title taken from a Raymond Carver short story about a man who sells off all his belongings for reasons that remain unclear despite inquiring minds, Why Dont You Dance is the solo debut of Yung frontman Mikkel Holm Silkjaer under the mononym Holm. While it shares the brooding post-punk and driving dance-rock inclinations of his Danish indie rock outfit, Holm made an effort to express some of the thoughts and feelings that he tended to suffer in silence on what is a slightly more streamlined debut with plenty of rough edges. "Intelligent Moves" opens the record with a churning grunge that establishes a more monotone version of the singers often sung-spoken, anguished delivery on lines like "Im not feeling better/But Im trying to move on." Later, "The Rope" instead adds a touch of spiky, Strokes-like hookiness to the mix, as Holm grumbles about a challenging partner. The twangier, midtempo "Erase & Repeat" likewise concerns a perceived pointlessness in trying to navigate relationships and social mores ("All those hands I shook last night, they dont care about my scene"). More atmospheric entries such as "Valley of Dreams" and the drum-less "Like a Dog" examine darker corners of the mind with ringing guitar tones, shimmery synths, and angular, frustrated vocals. With its earworm-y guitar riff and shrieked chorus, the visceral "Ks Choice" revolves around struggling with change. Like many of the songs here, its self-awareness offers some unspoken hope in the midst of otherwise loathing or self-loathing lyrics. When the album closes on the part-acoustic guitar waltz "Why Dont You Dance?," its unclear if Holm is being sarcastic when he offers, "You dragged yourself out of bed this morning/What a sensational win," but it begs further review. ~ Marcy Donelson