When life gives you a loop, find the groove and flip the script
Toronto multi-instrumentalist and genre-blurring songwriter Dylan Hennessy returns with his new single “All We Can Do Is Dance.” After nearly two decades of performing across the city and country — from his acclaimed one-man-band looping shows to producing the debut album for his band Mobius Radio, his folk/blues duo with his father, and even a twice sold-out Eminem tribute — Hennessy now circles back to his roots as a singer/songwriter. This time, carrying with him a modern sonic palette shaped by years of experimentation, connection, and exploration across musical worlds.
Written throughout a year marked by global tension and uncertainty, “All We Can Do Is Dance” channels Hennessy’s desire to fuse hip-hop-leaning attributes with the emotional warmth of pop and the retro-future gloss of dance music — all through his own authentic voice.
“I kept seeing the world get louder and more chaotic,” he says. “But the best way out is through — with optimism. With movement. Like dancing.”
The result is a track that imagines a disco party happening while the world burns outside — a call to embrace joy, connection, and release in spite of everything.
Produced, recorded, and mixed entirely by Hennessy in his home studio — with the exception of acoustic drums tracked in Moncton during his East Coast tour — the song blends organic and electronic percussion with shimmering synths, guitars and vocoder textures. As well as a vocal approach inspired by Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories, Mac Miller’s intimate delivery, and the soulful charisma of Michael Jackson and The Weeknd. It culminates in a dueling guitar-and-synth outro that reinforces Hennessy’s signature fusion of instrumental virtuosity and emotional clarity.
Thematically, “All We Can Do Is Dance” personifies “life” itself on the dancefloor in its second verse — an invitation not to lose your spark even in moments of stagnation or repetition. “Maybe if we all let loose and ‘dance’ together, we can connect better,” Hennessy says. “It’s about flirting with life again, even when things feel frozen.” Hennessy says his current plan is to build momentum through a series of singles.
Review
The track kicks off with a punchy realization that chasing “enough” is a losing game, quickly pivoting from a mental spiral into an explosive, funky pop lifeline. It channels the burnout of digital overload into a high-octane urge to break free, reminding us that when life gets too heavy to think through, the fastest way out is to stop overanalyzing and start moving.
The lyrics move fast, trading a bottle of wine for sunshine and choosing to actually show up for life instead of zoning out. There’s a real honesty in how it treats vulnerability like a high-stakes bet where being yourself is the ultimate jackpot. It ditches the “poker face” for a groove-heavy chorus that’s a total earworm, practically forcing you to find the beat and stay there.
The finale brings it home through a vibrant encounter with a fellow “crazy” soul who proves that movement is the best medicine. Her advice to keep your “shoes on tight” turns the dance floor into a battlefield against the blues. Even when the “Groundhog Day” loop returns, the beat remains defiant—an empowering script-flip that proves when the world gets loud, the only real response is to turn it up and dance.
Want to hear the remix, featuring Canadian Hip Hop legend Saukrates?