Dance has been a part of human history since its earliest origins, with ancient civilizations utilizing its meditative properties to celebrate milestones and create bonds within communities. And while the styles of dance may have transformed since then, dance itself remains one of the most important (and fun) art forms. Today, this legacy continues as almost monday celebrates the fun nature of dance in their new music video, “only wanna dance.” It’s silly, it’s witty and above all, it’s fun. As a song that’s quickly become a fan favorite at the band’s live shows, the music video perfectly encapsulates the joy that comes with moving your body while showing off the cool, laid-back San Diego personality of the band. Made up of high school best friends—Dawson Daugherty (vocals), Luke Fabry (bass), and Cole Clisby (guitar)—the band has slowly made itself a fixture on the indie-pop scene, racking up over 140 million global streams. 

And just as the title suggests, the song is all about dancing like no one’s watching. Featuring a fast-paced drum beat and their signature guitar riffs, the song encourages listeners to not take life too seriously. And the supplemental visual doesn’t disappoint–instead, amplifying the carefree, airy message of the song. In the video, directed by Jack Revell & Kelly Hammond, the trio is reimagined as classic storybook characters–starting out as professional bowlers and moving toward cowboys and knights. 

“We shot that with two of our friends who we’ve actually done most of our music videos with. We shot it with them and it was kind of one of those videos where you’re squeezing it in between shows and recording music. We came up with these really bizarre things, like knights in the snow, and just had fun with it,” Dawson shares, to which Cole chimed in, adding, “We wanted to capture really random, little moments and interesting things. So we weren’t really looking to tie it together.” 

The band just finished a headline tour across North America, where they visited several iconic venues, including the historic Bowery Ballroom in New York City and The Troubadour in Los Angeles. This 14-city tour comes after a whirlwind 2022, in which almost monday opened for The Driver Era and made their mark on the festival scene, performing at Governor’s Ball, WonderBus Music & Arts Festival, and more. Last year they also released a plethora of electric singles, one of which (“sun keeps on shining”) spent multiple weeks in the Top 20 on Alternative Radio.

“It’s been really cool to see little baby steps of growth, even from a year ago,” Luke says. “So it’s been a blast.”

And as the band ushers in a new era with this release, we can’t wait to track their growth in the coming months. Just before their set in San Francisco, the trio sat down with V to answer all our questions. Below, they provide insight into the music video’s process. 

V MAGAZINE: Hi, how are you?

COLE CLISBY: I’m good.

V: Nice. It’s good to see you guys again. I thought you guys would be together [laughs].

DAWSON DAUGHERTY: Yeah, I’m sorry. That’s totally my fault. I just got a tattoo and it ran really late. And I just didn’t want to leave and for it to be unfinished. 

V: Oh cool, what’s the tattoo?

DD: I would show you but I’d have to take my shirt off. But it’s just right on my arm, it’s like a beach portal thing.

V: Exciting! What else have you guys got planned for today? 

DD: Tonight, we’re playing in San Francisco. It’s one of the last shows of the tour. And tonight should be really fun. 

V: How exciting! How’s touring been so far? 

DD: Tour has been amazing. It’s so good. I mean, we’ve done so many tours in the past where we’re supporting, but this is like our first full headlining run. And there’s just nothing better than going to these places with people that are there for your music. 

LUKE FABRY: It’s been really cool to see little baby steps of growth, even from a year ago. So it’s been a blast.

V: We definitely love to see it. And congrats on your new music video, “only wanna dance.” First things first, what was it like filming this one? 

DD: We shot that with two of our friends who we’ve actually done most of our music videos with. We shot it with them and it was kind of one of those videos where you’re squeezing it in between shows and recording music. We came up with these really bizarre things, like knights in the snow, and just had fun with it. We make music with one of our best friends and then in the same way, we make videos with people we’re really comfortable. They understand as musicians and friends and that’s super important to us. 

V: Totally, working with your friends is always the best. How long did it take to film the music video? 

DD: I think we did it in four days. So we did all the roller rink stuff, and then we did the desert slash cowboy stuff. It’s nice to have a couple of days to actually film a music video because then you have time to just screw around and hang out. I feel like that’s where like the best ideas come from. Like just walking past something and then it becoming part of the shot. So that’s pretty cool.

V: And so can you talk us through the inspiration? How did all the diverging elements come together?

CC: I don’t really have a clear answer. It’s kind of just random and that was what we were actually going for in the video. We wanted to capture really random, little moments and interesting things. So we weren’t really looking to tie it together. 

DD: Yeah, we didn’t really know that it was going to snow but it snowed kind of gnarly. I think it added some production value because we didn’t know it was going to happen. That opposition weather-wise to San Diego was kind of cool. Again, it was just so random, and not really thought behind. But we’re stoked because of it. I think it’s a fun video.

V: That sounds so fun. Do you guys have a favorite moment while filming?

LF: Dawson had to ride a horse for some part of it. So that was pretty funny. 

DD: I worked with this wrangler. Steve was this guy who rode horses on this real ranch and he was so intense and intimidating. He was a real cowboy. Like, we were just these dorks trying to make a video and this is his life. I remember he looked me up and down and was like, “Yeah, we can get him on a horse.” It was pretty embarrassing. But yeah, I became a full-on authentic Yellowstone cowboy.

V: What an experience, indeed. In the music video, you can’t tell you’ve never ridden a horse before. How did you cast this music video? 

LF: We just reached out to friends. Most of them are friends and then there are a couple of randoms that somehow got there and they were the best skaters out of everybody so it definitely worked out. 

DD: Well, the lady working at the roller rink helped us get skaters. I kind of asked her, “Do you know anybody that’s really good? Someone who can make this look more legit?” And I remember she called this dude and this kid roller-skated like nobody’s business. It was super random, but she came through. 

V: That’s awesome. Where’s the roller rink?

DD: It was this place in downtown San Diego. It’s been there forever. It’s from the ‘80s or something and it’s called Skateworld.

V: And last question for you guys–Now that you’re about to wrap up the tour, what else is on the horizon? 

DD: Touring for us is so fun and I think most of the fulfillment of being in a band comes from, physically seeing people enjoying themselves and singing along. So we definitely want to continue touring a ton this year. Last year, we had a really big touring year–we went to Japan and Korea, and South America. So hopefully we can go back to those places and continue to build those markets. And then just a lot of new music. We’re super stoked–we have some new stuff that I think is really exciting. It feels like a new direction and I’m really excited about it.