Those who RSVP to the Last Man Dancing party will quickly realize there is more going on than may first meet the eye. The record was introduced in immersive style earlier this year with the reborn disco groove of “Too Much Music”, and followed by “I Used To Be In Love”, a symphonic blast of house, hedonism and finding yourself right at home in a crowd of strangers. Like any great night out, things take a stranger turn: funk workout “Do The Television”, says Jake, “is about language and the loss of meaning, changing symbols and forgotten history”, while there’s a scathingly funny portrait of modern narcissism on the electro-clash of “Really Big Deal”. The record reaches its floor-filling crescendo on what Shears loosely calls “The Suite”: an instrumental-led mix (“Mess Of Me”, “Doses”, “Radio Eyes”) that sees the party reach almost dystopian depths in a room that also features the unlikely collective voices of Big Freedia, Jane Fonda, Iggy Pop and Amber Martin. Closing on the cinematic, breakbeat glam of “Diamonds Don’t Burn”, Last Man Dancing is ultimately a reminder to keep moving through whatever life throws at you, a theme rendered memorably through the title track’s video in which Jake earns his trophy not just as the “Last Man Dancing” but, without doubt, as one of this generation’s most trailblazing, positive pop stars.
Even amidst its high-octane energy, Jake Shears’ new album offers Scissor Sisters’ front-man the opportunity to reflect on how he got to where he is today. In his own words, Last Man Dancing is “a journey through the ultimate house party. The first half gives you those singalong moments that get everyone into it at the top of night. As the hours turn, you can go a little deeper and darker, more where the second half of the record goes. It’s inspired by all the over-the-top house parties I’ve thrown throughout my life. I was born to host, I love to DJ and my favorite hours of a party are from 4-6am. There’s nothing more luxurious than being as loud as you want in the early hours. Not everyone might make it to the end, but the last ones dancing are possibly rewarded with the most magical moments of the evening.”
