7.5/10
Favorite Track: "Holy Ghost" Least Favorite Track: "Overnight Sensation"
Dopamine is the debut studio album from twenty seven year old, multi-instrumentalist, BØRNS. This Michigan born artist takes a much different approach to a traditional electropop sound, with a much more instrumental and rochus take on the generally more laid back genre. However he also doesn’t limit himself in terms of what he will implement into his sound on this full length project. Dopamine features softer and more melodic pop tracks as well as some harder, more explosive, tracks that I would say resemble more of an alternative or indie rock sound. Think somewhere between Artic Monkeys and Oh Wonder. This concept of no limitation being plastered all over Dopamine, culminated for quite the enjoyable listen for me. This record progresses from a much slower and melodic sound in the first half, to some much more rock influenced cuts in the second half. This inconsistency is usually something I wouldn’t be a fan of, especially in a debut LP, but BØRNS pulls it off surprisingly well. The dreamy aesthetic in the first half shines through on tracks like his massive hit “Electric Love”. This tracks psychedelic synths and trippy, delayed, snare drum hits, bring it to a very interesting sonic place. It’s most definitely both a moody, and vibey track. At first listen tracks like this as well as cuts like “Dug My Heart”, didn’t really impress me. However after a few replays I think the second half of this record truly did alter my taste on the first half. The contrast between the two different, unique, styles made me appreciate the direction, and album as a whole, a lot more. Moving into the second half of this LP, “Holy Ghost” is an absolutely phenomenal track. His vocal delivery in this track is tip top (as it usually is on Dopamine). He spits his lyrics both sassy, and passionately. Lyrically, the flow and delivery in the pre-chorus builds this exulting, tension that just wants to burst into an explosive chorus and that’s exactly what it does. I’m absolutely in love with every element of this track. Following this we get “Past Lives”. The track features these dreamy and moody synths combined with some heavier base hits. The delivery almost sounds like that of a Lorde song but the hook reminds me of Twenty One Pilot’s “Semi-Automatic”. This is another very enjoyable track that builds on the momentum of “Holy Ghost”. The groovy and funky closer “Fool” is yet another great track. Some of his vocal high points on this track are simply fantastic. His high flying vocal arpeggios mixed with a funky baseline, and drum beat make this track for me. Dopamine draws from a very wide array of influences and sounds that culminate into this project that’s inconsistency seems to be its direction. The very essence of Dopamine is the fact that it can be so many different things, and I believe the enjoyment of this record truly does come out of that versatility.