American dance-rock band DNCE have given Music Week an insight into their future plans after being taken aback by the impact of their breakthrough smash, Cake By The Ocean.
The Joe Jonas-fronted four-piece reached No.4 in the singles chart last year with the worldwide hit, which has sold 1,053,315 copies in the UK, according to the Official Charts Company.
"I don't know if we even had the idea that it would be as big as it was," Jonas told Music Week. "Still, to this day, it's being played all over - it's a dream for us. It's one of those songs that we would never try to beat because I think it would be literally impossible at this point. But we're proud of it because it introduced our band to the world and if we can get away with a song about literally nothing that means we can write anything we want, which is encouraging as an artist."
Penned with songwriters Justin Tranter and Mattman & Robin, the song was the lead single from DNCE's 2015 EP Swaay and also featured on their eponymous 2016 debut LP. Released last November via Republic Records in the US and Island in the UK, the album was well-received critically, entering the charts at No.17 in their homeland. In the UK, it peaked at No.48 and has racked up 21,179 sales to date.
"We make a point to not put any pressure on ourselves as a band with regards to traditional, success-related things," said bassist Cole Whittle. "We don't think about it too much because I think it squashes the art and it's a waste of energy. We focus on having as much fun as possible, making the coolest thing we can think of and let other people worry about that stuff, so we didn't feel any pressure."
The band - made up of Jonas, Whittle, guitarist JinJoo Lee and drummer Jack Lawless - were one of the headline acts at last month's Isle Of MTV Malta music festival and are set to support Bruno Mars on his South American tour this autumn.
"Schedule-wise, we're not on a traditional tour until the fall, but we're busy all year," added Jonas. "We'll just bounce around all summer, playing festivals and college shows. You name it, we're probably going to be playing it.
"Our goal would be to release more music this year, another album by next year and then a big world tour at the top of the year."
