It was only at the beginning of August at the Y Not Festival that I first came across the music of Dolores Forever. They played a half hour set that resonated with me – some of their songs were stuck in my head for days afterwards!
When they mentioned they had a debut album on the way, I made a mental note and here I am reviewing an album that that will get you moving, or at least nodding along, taking you on a journey through life’s ups and downs. Meeting at a house party, Hannah Wilson and Julia Fabrin became good friends and the rest, as they say, is history.
It’s an upbeat start with Not Now Kids and second track Someday Best, a quirky one with the lyrics “shut up and eat the pasta” – it brings back memories of hundreds of music lovers singing this line back to the band at Y Not. Wilson and Fabrin work so well together as co-vocalists on the album, which they describe as a “punchy indie-pop record about feminism, friendship and navigating a messed up world.”
Concrete continues the summery vibes and is a candidate for the best track on It’s Nothing – but it’s the next song that wins that award for us, as Split Lip begins at a slow pace and builds into outstanding vocals and a nice, mellow keyboard backdrop. When I was playing this album recently in the car with my family, my son joined in and we were singing it for days afterwards. My wife took a different standpoint though, as she commented that it sounded like Girls Aloud – not sure what Dolores Forever would think of that! Elsewhere on the album, Go Fast, Go Slow launches with a keyboard intro, before the first lines of the lyrics are unleashed: “I’ve hated this body since I was ten/I try to change it but put it back again/I lie awake at night and just pretend that it’s nothing.”
The indie-pop vibes continue with Rotten Peaches, Thank You For Breathing and Grace, while Why Are You Not Scared Yet? concludes an album that was a delight to listen to and also very easy to connect to. Dolores Forever head out on their first UK headline tour in December and it’s one we are really looking forward to.
8/10
Standout Tracks: Someday Best, Split Lip, Go Fast, Go Slow
For Fans Of: Lauren Mayberry, Pixey, Chloe Slater
Written by: Alan Brown
