Max Matthew
“Dancin’ With Danger”
Release Date: June 13, 2025
In a perfect world, “Dancin’ With Danger” would already be pumping from the speakers of a neon-lit roller rink in the Valley circa 1987. But instead, it’s 2025—and Max Matthew, the pop-rock project helmed by New Haven duo Matt DePaolo and Max Cappello, is here to remind us that danger never goes out of style.
This track isn’t just a nod to the past—it’s a full-bodied power-slide into it. With a synth-laced intro straight out of Miami Vice and a bassline that struts like Nile Rodgers in a leather jacket, “Dancin’ with Danger” glows with the kind of retro sheen that could only come from two artists who understand their influences but aren’t content to merely imitate.
Think Maroon 5’s slick polish mixed with the seductive swagger of Duran Duran and the muscular pulse of The Power Station. Add a splash of John Hughes romantic tension and you’ve got a song that feels like the soundtrack to the movie you wish existed. The percussion slaps, the guitar riffs smolder with funky heat, and the vocals—half invitation, half warning—wrap the whole thing in velvet danger.
Lyrically, Max Matthew play with contrasts like seasoned gamblers at a smoky backroom poker table. “A little bit of heaven of the downtown lights / Lost in desires, living a lie” feels both cinematic and personal, a love-on-the-brink tale wrapped in glossy production. There’s something magnetic in the way they build the chorus: “We’re dancin’ with danger / One step at a time”—the kind of hook that begs for a fist-pump under strobe lights.
But where some retro-inspired acts fall into mimicry, Max Matthew infuse their sound with just enough modern pop bite to make it feel relevant. The production is crisp, the rhythm section propulsive, and the track never overstays its welcome. This isn’t nostalgia for its own sake—it’s a revival with a pulse.
Coming off the heels of their previous single “Dead of the Night”—which leaned more into midnight melancholy—“Dancin’ With Danger” is a sleeker, sexier affair. It’s a head-turner of a track that proves Max Matthew aren’t just dabbling in pop-rock fantasy—they’re living it, one glitter-soaked chorus at a time.
Verdict
Put this one on repeat, lace up your dancing shoes, and don’t bother looking for the exit. Max Matthew’s “Dancin’ With Danger” is a thrill ride worth taking.
RIYL
The 1975, Walk the Moon, The Midnight, INXS, St. Lucia
https://maxmatthew.bandcamp.com/
https://soundcloud.com/max-matthew-276976265
https://www.facebook.com/people/Max-Matthew/100090731554729/?_rdr
https://www.youtube.com/@maxmatthewband/videos
