Not many bands have such a hard work ethic as Dopamine; often found touring relentlessly and for weeks at a time, it’s sometimes hard to believe that they’ve never really gone any further, having worked much harder than a lot of bands who do get noticed. There’s been no lack of attention; all of Dopamine’s output has been released by record labels, and they hold appeal as far a field as Japan and Australia.
There’s possibly been a sense of something missing all along; yes, they are a very entertaining band, and do write some of the most addictive songs known to man, front man Neil Starr’s vocals often producing the catalyst to get lost amid a world of intricate harmonies, both vocally and instrumentally; there’s always been a lot of passion displayed, but the sense that something in fact was missing is highlighted with second album ‘Experiments With Truth.’
It’s not that the older material is distinctly lacking, more that the new album is a literally gigantic step forward for Caerphilly’s favourite quartet, completed by guitarist Iain Mahanty, drummer Sam Phillips and bassist James Leaves; who contributes keyboard on this album. Dopamine as a band have evolved a great deal, it’s hard to see at first, the songs really do have the same basic elements that have made them so favourable with many people. The vocal harmonies are still in place and sounding as crisp as ever, but the instant sing along rock song tag has been shifted. Debut album ‘Auditioning My Escape Plan’ was a more straight up rock offering.
Be fooled if you will, the opening track (also the title track) does come in like a typical Dopamine song and up until the end of the first chorus; which it must be said has taken a slightly different dynamic to the usual sing as loud and as high as possible, it’s a lot more melodic and stands up a lot more for its own merits. Things get slightly different from here; distant drums and a heavily effect influenced guitar sound hold most of the second verse, the breakdown is present as expected, it’s a very eclectic mix, but produces a tidal waved sized buzz instantly: Dopamine are back. Second track ‘Who You Are’ serves the same purpose and is a very similar experience, though with different chorus of course.
This where the mask now gives up totally and smashes to pieces; Dopamine are contemplative on ‘Too Late’, favouring slow, subtle guitar lines and steady drum beats, all blending in behind almost unnaturally elongated vocals; Starr, true to form pulls off every note flawlessly. The chorus erupts totally out of nowhere, but it’s already too late to salvage the old image, Dopamine have matured and shown a totally different side within the first 10 minutes. ‘The Colour of Comfort’ picks back up but feels slightly toned down from the previous track, there’s definitely less emphasis on being loud.
‘Experiments With Truth’ loses its way slightly in the middle now; though lush as ever, the vocal melody introducing ‘Still Hiding’ aches of the ghost of so many melodies this band have already written, and that’s exactly where we hit a wall, however enticing and drawing the new material is; it may always sound the same, Dopamine are writing new songs but firmly off the back of old songs, possibly not all bad; yet it does lead to questioning the identity of new songs when you attempt to make the step up they’ve made with this album, following on the feeling of not really going anywhere, ‘I Disappear’ is a very repetitive song, and isn’t quite strong enough to totally pull off the trend.
Almost as if light at the end (or middle) of the tunnel, ‘The Ghosts in the Machine’ is an absolute gem of a song, with the backing vocals of Halflight’s Sarah Howells adding to the experience, this song just hits in all the right places instantly. From the beautiful drifting of blended vocals leading up to and into the chorus, to the simple arrangement of the song, it just stands out; perhaps this is the sound they’re truly aiming for? As if saving the best until last, the next two tracks sound huge and gorgeous. With violin from Emma Brydon (another member of Halflight) fitting brilliantly in ‘Circles’, the band have written possibly their most gloriously compelling chorus to date. ‘Just Like The Sun’ is as emotionally involving, but for different reasons this is also a brilliant song.
As if to remind of where they came from, ‘Call To Arms’ sounds massive from the slower songs, a brilliantly catchy verse and chorus, this song is just pure sing along delight, nothing complicated here, just pure unadulterated musical joy. As ever, Dopamine finish on a quieter note, almost frustratingly, ‘A New Hope’ goes from quiet verses and explodes into another huge chorus. As I said; it’s almost frustrating but Dopamine are still managing to pull off the same basic principles with remarkable dramatic effect.
Dopamine have really progressed from just another rock band and have seem to have finally embraced the idea of making music that stands out on its own rather than echoes of the glory had by other bands they were possibly looking up to a little too much. Either way, whatever has gone before seems almost irrelevant compared to ‘Experiments With Truth’, this album oozes with a positive, confident and mature sound unlike anything anybody expected, essentially this is the same band, one that’s taken a huge step forward.
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Dopamine - Laruso [Video]
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Dopamine - Experiments With Truth
