Photography // Dance Lessons – press.
Peachy Magazine caught up with the London-based dance-pop trio, Dance Lessons, to discuss their new single “SMABTO” and much more.
How’s the dynamic between the three of you? Do you guys have specific roles you all undertake when creating together?
We’re a German, American, and a Brit, so we were always gonna have an unusual dynamic, but it works for us. Our taste in music is similar but as we’re all quite different people, we each bring something unique to the table. Ann usually writes the skeleton of the track, then we work on the music together – Nat adds guitars and Tom bass and additional vocals. Ann shapes the production and creates an initial mix. We’ll give it some breathing room, come back together and finish it.
What’s the story behind your single “SMABTO”?
It all began with a smashed plate… SMABTO (Some Mistakes Are Better Than Others) is about relationships that turn out to be total fucking regrets. But shit happens, and it’s a good lesson, not taking things too seriously. SMABTO is our answer to the classic lost-love ballad.
Listen to “SMABTO” while reading the interview
Regarding your forthcoming material – what’s the musical direction like?
We love 70’s disco, funk, jazz, and modern pop with some bite to it. For us, it’s always about a groove and an energy. So that helps inform our musical direction. We like to vary our songwriting and production, so we’ve got some punchy dance-floor records in the making and some more enigmatic slow jams.
What’s the story behind how Dance Lessons came about?
It began with a dance-off between Ann and Tom at a party just over a year ago. They clicked immediately and knew they wanted to start making music together. Nat and Tom, go way back and had already been looking for the missing link to complete their new project. Ann was the missing piece.
What’s next for Dance Lessons?
These are exciting times for us. SMABTO is our first single, and we can’t wait to build on it and push on from there. We’re also looking forward to more releases and getting out and playing some energetic shows (whenever COVID-19 allows us).
