DNCE

Breezy, energetic and most definitely danceable, DNCE’s irresistible run of hits made them inescapable in the mid-2010s. The quartet's success also proved Joe Jonas could thrive in a band that didn’t include any of his siblings. Even so, the project was very much born out of the Jonas Brothers, with drummer Jack Lawless and guitarist JinJoo Lee having both been members of their touring band. (Joe and Jack were roommates, too.) After the Jonas Brothers announced their split in 2013, Joe began working on new music but, instead of another solo album, he realised he wanted a fresh start with a new band, too. Along with Lawless and Lee, Jonas enlisted bassist Cole Whittle, a member of Semi Precious Weapons with Jonas’ sometime songwriting partner Justin Tranter. The sound they created for DNCE’s self-titled debut album combined contemporary dance-pop styles with vintage influences like the Electric Light Orchestra and the Bee Gees. The first and best example was “Cake by the Ocean”, an irresistible slice of sunny hedonism that became a worldwide hit in 2015. The funky, flirty follow-ups “Toothbrush” and “Kissing Strangers” were soon dance-floor favourites, too. When the Jonas Brothers reactivated in 2019, DNCE announced they were going on hiatus, leaving open the possibility that they weren't finished filling floors.