Canadian duo Neon Dreams are making alt-pop at its most intelligent, incisive, and deeply catchy. That couldn’t be more apparent on “Little Dance,” a single that’s lyrically reflective yet sonically extroverted as Adrian Morris’ snappy percussion and groovy riffs wind their way through frontman Frank Kadillac’s far-reaching vocal range. Meditative and celebratory, embodying everyone’s unique dance under the sun, it’s the musical form of unfettered joy and is inarguably their most profound artistic statement to date.
WATCH THE MUSIC VIDEO FOR “LITTLE DANCE” BELOW
Kadillac dives into the story behind “Little Dance” as he explains, “After finishing our first tour of South Africa we decided to go shark diving. I had a phobia of drowning but felt it was time to face my fears. I jumped in the water and opened my eyes. There was a shark staring right at my face, my heart was pumping so I panicked. As I was collecting my breath, I started hearing this melody in my head that kept getting louder…I left the ocean to grab my phone and record the melody which eventually became the chorus of Little Dance.”
He continues, “Days before while attending a meditation retreat, I was walking through the garden observing how life works through the birds and little annoying flies when I had a perspective shift. Those little annoying flies were not annoying, they were dancing. They were finding purpose. They were falling in love. They don’t live long. But they do their best to enjoy each moment from sunup to sundown. One of the observations I wrote down in my book was…everyone is doing their own dance through life and if you see someone dancing in your direction you have the choice to dance with them or let them pass by and continue your dance… It’s just a little dance under the sun.”
He concludes, “We completed the song with the help of a local Cape Town musician named Majozi and an amazing producer from Potchefstroom named Dolfe. I played them my voice note from the shark trip and it was like we were all hypnotized into a transcendental state. We started at 9 am and worked all the way until midnight. This moment is the reason why I’m still in South Africa… not because of the tour but because of the magic in this place. The world needs a reminder about the beauty of life and all it has to offer and I’m going to do my best to give back what the people gave me… that’s HOPE.”
Kadillac and Morris became fast friends after Kadillac moved to Halifax, Canada and the two quickly started making music together. In the years that have followed, the duo has garnered Gold (and now Platinum) singles; accumulated over 50 million streams; played sold-out international shows after their single “Life Without Fantasies” became a sensation across South Africa, and won numerous Canadian awards—including a coveted JUNO. But the project has always meant so much more to Kadillac than accolades, and that was affirmed during his time in South Africa between the music community and meditation retreats that have inspired an ongoing creative evolution.
Kadillac’s continuous message of hope can be traced throughout their catalog as uplifting songs about not fitting in and overcoming adversity are peppered throughout. In recent years, running all the way up to the present moment, Neon Dreams are continuing to inspire with new music before eventually hitting the road again. And as always, Kadillac and Morris are focusing on one of their favorite things about being in a band: connecting with fans around the world on a more personal level.
