Outlander and Inspector Ellis star Andrew Gower is capping off the year with a brand-new Gustaffson single that is an absolute earworm. “Dance To The Algorithm” is a retro funk fusion with a driving baseline and an impossibly catchy chorus. Coming off the high of the band’s critically acclaimed debut album, Black & White Movie, the Liverpool-born singer-songwriter is still drawing inspiration from what he knows best. As with the last trio of singles Gustaffson has released this year, “Dance To The Algorithm” arrives with a stunning music video in tow, and this time — Gower is the one behind the camera.
Gustaffson collaborated with a trio of brilliant directors this year on Black & White Movie, including Daredevil’s Andy Goddard for “On Broadway,” Myriam Raja for “Flowers,” and Outlander’s Metin Huseyin for “Underground,” but their best director yet was with them all along. Gower may be best known for his wide variety of on-screen performances, and now his rising music career, but spend any amount of time chatting with him, and you will quickly discover that he has a natural directorial vision. Ahead of the release of “Dance To The Algorithm,” Gower sat down with Collider to discuss that vision at length.
“I went to a [screening of] the Beatles ’64 documentary, and Giles Martin said, ‘Nowadays, people listen to music. They don’t hear it.” That night there was a lot of chat about algorithms, and I played with the play on words of dancing to the algorithm. To dance to the rhythm of the algo, whatever that is. I couldn’t get it out of my head.” Gower explains how the song came into existence. As with most of his music, “Dance To The Algorithm” began as a poem. “From the poem came the song which latched onto a bass riff. And then luckily, Craig [Potter] had availability for us to go back into the studio.” This single marks the last collaboration between Gustaffson and the British rock band Elbow — at least for now. Gower went on to say:
“A lot of stuff that comes up on your feed or in life kind of matches that. Signs of astronauts and signs of the future. The threat to SAG and the threat to the Ivor Novellos. About music and AI in that field. It all then led toward the astronaut from that initial Beatles ‘64 documentary and the phrasing of ‘dancing to the algorithm.’”
This summer, music connoisseurs were horrified to discover that one of the hottest new bands on Spotify — that racked up an impressive 1 million plays in a matter of weeks — was not only fictitious, but completely manufactured by AI. It’s impossible not to think about this revelation when listening to Gustaffson’s new track, which poses the question: “Do you dance to the algorithm?” The entertainment industry is being forced to reckon with the rampant AI use that threatens the livelihoods of artists across mediums (something that the band has been directly speaking to on their social media in the lead up to the release) and “Dance To The Algorithm” is a vibrant reminder of the beauty of human art and the communion found in the midst of artistic collaboration.
“Dance To The Algorithm” Draws From Surprising Sources of Inspiration
Wind whistles through a tunnel as the camera tracks an astronaut emerging from its depths. The astronaut kneels on the pavement and pops open a vintage cassette player decorated with Ziggy Stardust and Ray Charles stickers, and four cutout letters that spell “ANDY.” The astronaut pops in a cassette tape and “Dance To The Algorithm” cuts through the silence, filling the void with an upbeat groove that immediately makes you want to dance. Gower loves to transform the mundane into the profane with his music and the visuals he pairs with it — and the astronaut flips the script with a far more evocative juxtaposition.
“You know that I like the ordinary and the extraordinary. I’m obsessed with that,” Gower explains. “We’re talking about AI and algorithmic music and the future and where the future lies. I’m into a good space movie just like everybody else. That image of the astronaut, I just couldn’t get out of my head. It also helped that one of our future singles, not this one, will allude to an astronaut.” He adds, “I know Manchester like the back of my hand, those are the streets we filmed in. So to stick an astronaut in those streets and to have that juxtaposition, that is why we went with the astronaut.”
As with most musicians, Gower’s music is deeply personal. But there’s a playfulness to the lyrics of “Dance To The Algorithm,” including the clever use of his surname. “I said a lot about myself in the album and this track is kind of a bookend. [This track] didn’t make it onto the album, but we wanted to go back into the studio one final time with Elbow.” He continued:
“In essence, because I was making my directorial debut for Gustafsson, I wanted to put a bit of myself into this. Being an actor-for-hire, as I’ve said to you before, and working on some wonderful projects, playing some great characters, Gustafsson is my own character, and it’s me and my stories. I wanted to put my view on what I think real music should be and where we should source real music. How we should listen to music, not just hear it. How we should listen and how we should invest in all of that. That’s been the message behind this whole campaign we’ve done. To make music, you need real life.”
The Beatles may be an ever-driving source of inspiration for Gower, but for “Dance To The Algorithm,” he drew upon a new influence. “I always feel like Edward Berger has an amazing way of juxtaposing worlds on screen and showing — especially with Conclave — religion and technology in the same shot. Those shots in the Vatican with photocopiers and papal outfits? I was inspired by that. I think that an astronaut being in Manchester was my kind of nod to that as an image. I always like seeing nuns and priests out of context in modern scenarios. I guess this was my play on that, where it’s an astronaut in the everyday scenario. I think as far as directors go right now, he is the bee’s knees.”
What’s Next For Gustaffson?
“There will be a new record next year,” Gower promises. “Whilst we are an unsigned band, we will be making this type of music that is just keeping people questioning and working in different mediums.” He also notes that music isn’t the only plan he has up his sleeve — but it’s still very much part of it.
“One of my big dreams is to make a drama that is fueled by music for television. We’re doing that. I feel like these music videos and the collaborations I’ve been making with some of the most amazing people in our industry that we all know and love, and I can’t thank enough, have inspired me. But I feel like there’s a big hole in our industry for more drama that is driven by music. I think that is definitely something as well, the North Star that people can look forward to from Gustafsson. A drama that is purely composed of Gustafsson music.” It’s no surprise that the band that has been consistently bridging the gap between film, television, and music is eyeing an opportunity to marry it all together.
“Dance To The Algorithm” is now streaming everywhere you get your music, and if you just discovered Gustaffson for the first time — kick back and relax this weekend with their album Black & White Movie.
