What makes you want to dance? Is it simply the pull of the music? The freedom of the rhythms? Or is there a person whose hipshacking enthusiasm infectiously pulls you onto the floor without fail? Whatever the reason, have you ever considered what would happen if it all suddenly stopped? If the very idea of twisting shapes became a source of perpetual fear.
That could be because you’ve realised your one good ‘move’ has been painfully obsolete since the late 1990s, or it could be a sure sign that you’re suffering from Chorophobia. That is a condition characterised by a pathological fear of dancing that provokes extreme anxiety and panic. It can be wholly debilitating, causing people to avoid any social situation where dancing is involved. However, on their new album, Weval have made it their mission to provide the cure and get those people back on the dancefloor.
Comprising the Dutch duo of Harm Coolen and Merijn Scholte Albers, Weval have been crafting their immersive, genre-blending sounds since 2012. Their last album, 2023’s Remember, was the perfect example of their ability to marry richly textured, electronic music with a widescreen, cinematic quality that tugs on the heartstrings. However, the pair soon realised that the record marked the end of something.
Determined to push themselves out of their comfort zone, they teased a new direction on their 2024 EP Night Versions. After careful consideration, the duo decided to embrace dance music in all its hedonistic glory. The result is Chorophobia, a record that finds them keeping their immersive, melancholic tendencies to a minimum as they strive not to overthink themselves. Criss-crossing genres, upping the BPM and finding room for those big club-ready drops, Weval have abandoned themselves to the unconstrained freedom of the dancefloor.
Opener and title track “Chorophobia” starts with Gregorian chant-like vocals, slow ragtime piano, and spluttering synths that tease the frenetic electro-storm to come. “Moving On” ups the pace significantly as increasingly frantic arpeggiated synths give way to a gliding keyboard line and breathless vocal samples. It’s a bold and colourful start, but if anyone is cautiously paddling around the edges of the dancefloor, then “Movement” is the moment where they’re pushed right in.
Kinetic, breakbeat percussion provides the backbone for a delirious surge of synth lines that lead the listener straight to the heart of the action. At this point, the duo’s sheer inventiveness becomes apparent. Musical ideas seem to pour out of them as they rush seamlessly into the gorgeous “Just Friends”. There is barely time to draw breath before the barnstorming “Head First” matches the momentum. With its memorable refrain of “forget the past and move on”, it’s the closest thing to a full-on earworm on here.
“Dopamine” burrows itself a little deeper. Anchored by breakbeat percussion and synths that slowly release themselves like the hormone that gives it its name. Every synth line rewards the listener with another release of pure pleasure, as if simulating the feeling of letting go on a heaving, sweaty dancefloor. “Open Up That Door” comes across like a collaboration between Young Fathers and Kendrick Lamar. With its rolling rhythms and yawning synth line, it’s a late album track that, in a just world, could be a crossover hit.
“Mercator” is the only time when things really let up. A point that allows you to fully absorb what has come before. It’s probably the only time where the pair’s more filmic side comes to the fore, sounding as if it could serve as a particularly heart-wrenching soundtrack to an emotional drama. The closer, “Free”, is a gorgeous outlier. It perfectly evokes that feeling when time is almost up and the DJ wants to send you home on a glorious wave of bliss. It’s a fully formed electro-pop song designed to sweep you up in its clacking beats, swooping synth lines, and purring vocals.
With Chorophobia, Weval have crafted their most club-ready album to date. With its laser focus on the dancefloor, it feels like a well-constructed DJ set, with tracks expertly chosen to fit the vibe of the one that came before. It’s also a testament to embracing the fear of change and seeing where it takes you. In doing so, Weval have written a powerful new chapter for themselves about the liberation of dancing and the elation found in electronic music. Chorophobia has the power to get anyone back on the dancefloor – no fear.