BY: DIGITAL WAX MEDIA STAFF

 

Alternative-Indie band based out of West Virginia, Hello June are back this week with the latest in the group’s ongoing remix series, “Dance (M. Walker Remix.)”

 

The new remix follows that of the track “California” from Hello June’s 2023 full-length album, Artifacts, which was reimagined in November for the “California (Charlie Brown Superstar Remix), which is currently available to stream. The latest entry in the remix series, “Dance (M.Walker Remix) draws from one of the earliest songs in the Hello June canon, “Dance” which was first released nearly eight years ago. Upon release, the original was featured by NPR Music alongside new releases from some of the most exciting artists of the time.

 

Conceptually, the number explores the notion of authenticity and choosing not to minimize one’s self or beliefs in the name of avoiding potentially difficult situations, among other things.

 

“For me, ‘Dance’ is a song about personal freedom. It’s about finding yourself and finding it important to find yourself by any means,” said songwriter Sar Rudy of the track on Friday. “Don’t dance around things. Say what you mean, mean what you say. Let your actions align with what you believe. Keep believing in yourself and your loved ones.”

 

While the 2017 version of “Dance” is highly danceable in its own right, the arrangement of the track makes use of the rock instrumentation characteristic of the band’s work, with ethereal guitar-work and live drums taking center stage for the recording.

 

The “Dance (M. Walker Remix,)” while retaining many sonic elements of the original recording, does take things in a different direction stylistically. Prominent electronic elements and chopped vocal effects put a spin on the Hello June classic, providing an additional dimension to the sonic possibilities inherent within the group’s material.

This notion is among those that make the band’s remix series such a treat, as the musical possibilities stemming from a single piece of music are not always readily apparent to listeners. As such, the presentation of new and fresh perspectives on material with which listens are already acquainted and to which audiences have already developed a connection can endear the material to an even greater extent in this regard.

Hello June collaborated on the recently released track with musician M. Walker who, despite having worked with the group for the first time, has expressed hopes of additional collaborative work in the future.

”Never thought I was a remix guy but then again when have I ever stuck to being one type of guy?,” Walker wrote of the collaboration on social media Friday. “Working with Hello June was an absolute delight. I would be shocked if this were our last collab.”

Hello June and M.Walker’s “Dance (M. Walker Remix)” is currently available to stream. Listeners can find additional information on the.group, including details pertaining to music, merchandise, upcoming performance dates, and more, at the Hello June website and through the band’s social media channels.

 

Listeners can also explore additional work from M. Walker through the artist’s streaming platform pages.