Glasgow-based quartet Dancer burst onto the scene with a pair of great EPs in 2023, released their debut album in 2024, and continuing their prolific run, last month shared the brilliant follow-up, More or Less. Originally entitled just More, until another fairly high-profile band beat them to it, More Of Less was recorded at Chime Studios in Glasgow last winter, and deals with the seasonal struggles of bereavement, illness, political upheaval, and the grueling local weather, and decides to kick against them into a world of fantasy and daydreaming. To mark a month of More or Less, today the band are sharing a new video for one of the album’s standout moments, Always Running.

Discussing the inspiration behind Always Running, vocalist Gemma Fleet suggests the track, “is about moving from one thing to the next with a sense of dread, pulled down by anxiety and feeling weak, but remembering that you are still able to be strong for someone else”. It’s a moment that seems to fit perfectly into the ethos of More And Less, of hitting your lowest ebb, but finding a way to still be a light for someone else, to be more than the struggles that can so easily define our character.

While sticking close to the themes of the record, Always Running feels like a subtle musical departure for Dancer. While much of their past material has had a certain tongue-in-cheek whit about it, Always Running feels straighter talking, lyrically and also musically more direct. The track is anchored by Andrew Doig’s earthy bass, which, rather than going with the natural propulsive bounce of Luke Moran’s drum rhythm, seems to cling on, fighting against the tide, clawing its way back to shore. It’s a push-and-pull mirrored in Gemma’s vocals as she kicks against her instincts, swooping into the chorus as she sings, “don’t want to be someone who’s always running, don’t want to feel like someone’s always gunning for me”.

The accompanying video is also excellent, as you can see for yourself below, even if it comes with something of a legal disclaimer as Gemma explains, “see these yellow and red paint lines on the pavement every day on my walk to work. They go on for ages and seem to loop the BBC Scotland building, I have no idea what they are ( apart from looking like mustard and ketchup) and want to ensure Glasgow City Council know that we did not paint them!”

More or Less is out now via Meritorio Records. For more information on Dancer visit https://linktr.ee/dancerareaband