Sweet Melancholy (2024)
Dolce Blue’s Sweet Melancholy takes listeners on an emotional journey through the highs and lows of life and love, all set to a soundtrack that's both dreamy and introspective. The Deluxe edition of the album, featuring 20 tracks, showcases the band's mature growth and sonic evolution from their debut record, Forever Is Too Long. Each song is a carefully crafted piece of the puzzle, exploring themes of love, loss, and personal growth with vivid, relatable lyrics and intricate instrumentation.
The record kicks off with Grow, immediately showing the mature growth and sonic distinction between Sweet Melancholy and their debut record. The song is introspective and ethereal, delicate, soft, and intricate yet accessible, exploring the reality of growth between two people in life. The lyrics paint such a vivid picture that you can really see and relate to singer, Veronica Zurzolo.
Dream Catcher follows next and says “I can’t fall asleep and you just can’t wake up” – OUCH, relatable. This breakup song delves into the experience of falling out with someone who has hurt you deeply and driven you away. We all have experienced a dream catcher in our lives who at some point took our dreams of them and ran away from us. The track is contrastingly vibrant with dreamy guitar lines and upbeat drums, sonically reminiscent of the band Peach Pit.
Brown Leather Jacket comes in next with dreamy vocals and guitar lines with dynamic instrumentation. There’s a poignancy in reminiscing about past love and memories associated with specific items. The backing synths cry and carry the emotion of this track. Talking with the Sun on the other hand is warm, breezy, and dreamy, reflecting on past, introspective conversations under the sun. By this point in the record, the whole sonic tone is well-established. You can really feel the emotion with Zurzolo crying out that they don’t want to waste the sentimental feeling of those past conversations.
Nothing Bad follows with “… I’d rather have little kitties running round the backyard.” Me too, Dolce Blue. Me too. We all go about our lives saying everything is fine, but it’s often just a façade. Regardless of who you are or what your background is, everyone deals with their own challenges. Everyone can relate to saying “it’s fine” when it isn’t. Costs of living are stressful, time is elusive and ever passing, life is tough for the masses. This track, edgier than its predecessors, features driving basslines and pronounced drumbeats that really get you tapping your foot and bopping your head.
Just to take it down a bit, Goodbyes softly walks its way up as a dreamy and ethereal ballad harking on the pain of farewells. The keys carry this song close to its heart, and the basslines provide a balanced contrast. Reverberated drums fill your ears with an ethereal, angelic atmosphere.
VII acts as a bridge and interlude to the next journey of the record, Dolce Blue sings about sticking with someone through thick and thin. It evokes a sense of familiarity in love and the hard work of maintaining relationships. The guitars complement the phrasing of the vocals, emphasizing the lyrics. It’s a short track with a relatable message.
The rollercoaster doesn’t stop, though, as The Finest picks up the energy with busy basslines, dynamic drumming, and vibrant 1960s psychedelia in the guitar play and synths. The track touches on the fear and anxiety about opening up to a significant other. Zurzolo speaks to the notion of how it’s easy to say you’re fine when asked, fearing you may overshare. The Finest is the first step in asking if it’s okay to share what’s on your mind without fear of burden.
Summerwave holds onto that sonic aesthetic but with a fresh feeling. Summerwave has an addictive shuffle, making it an excellent track to relax and sway to with a loved one, provided you don’t think about the love-splitting lyrics!
Falling is the game changer of the record. Don’t be surprised if you see this song again in my end-of-year reviews. Falling completely and utterly sold me on Dolce Blue, prompting me to dive into this whole record. The song feels sexy melancholic despite being about a toxic relationship. The layered triplets in the drumming and the crying saxophone add to the emotional weight. Zurzolo’s voice conveys so much emotion, making Falling the standout of the record for me. This track might even crack my Top 10 Saxophone Songs. What a fun list that would be to write.
Problem immediately hits next with 60s-styled guitar riffs interplaying with Zurzolo’s signature vocals. This Beatles-esque, upbeat, energetic track contrasts with the poignant lyrics about investing time and love into someone who might not reciprocate. Though, maybe one day that will change if you invest enough? The problem is that’s usually not the case.
Valentino sings “I want to be rich, but not the stuck-up kind” – Ugh, me too. This song is relatable and accessible, coming off much like a single with its pop/rock music tropes done in Dolce Blue’s signature style. While it doesn’t quite have the same complexities or dynamism as other tracks, it’s a solid entry in the middle of the record.
Dinosaurs is sadly, not actually about dinosaurs. But much like the dinosaurs being long gone and never to return (unless Jurassic Park is actualized), this song draws the comparison to past relationships. “There’s an empty hole in my heart growing bigger the more we drift apart”. The more time passes, sometimes the more it hurts and the emptier you can feel after a romantic split. That being said, Veronica Zurzolo, if you’re reading this, at some point time passing will begin to turn the other way and start making it easier! Despite the pop-punk energy, the harmonic backing vocals and vibrant Dolce Blue sound make this short ditty memorable. Also, who doesn’t love a good brass section filling your ears with warmth?
Sugar Free introduces an excellent bassline to the track, immediately announcing itself as a standout. Shimmering and rich, with elements of jazz, indie pop, and alt rock, Sugar Free is snappy and one of the best tracks added to the Deluxe Edition. Similarly, Rise and Fall slaps you immediately with its vocal hook and sweet melancholy (wink). The dynamic structure adds climax and grit while exploring life’s highs and lows. The back-and-forth between vocalists is infectious, and the harmonizing is euphoric.
Little Games takes its time to addresses the complexities of relationships and the games people play. The dramatic, poignant lyrics are backed by a bouncy melody and intricate guitar and piano work. Definitely a hold-your-lighter-up, sway, and sing-from-the-heart moment on the record.
Typical Kind of Fun: Like Rise and Fall, this track features wonderful harmonizing between Veronica Zurzolo and drummer Brody Honey. This was the song that introduced me to Dolce Blue and it fully embodies the album title of Sweet Melancholy. According to Brody, it’s about the highs and lows of addiction and the hold it has on you, making you question your own judgment.
We then, at the end of the record, get three alternate versions to some of the tracks earlier on. Dream Catcher makes its return with Finn Pearson giving us a different vocal take. Pearson embodies the same feeling and arrangement as the original. It’s nice and interesting to hear it sung by different individuals.
Then Dolce Blue gets exotic! Valentino (Italiano) adds a completely new feeling to the original Valentino and Dinosaurs (Extinction Edition) is a stripped-back version of Dinosaurs with just Zurzolo and a piano, emoting the hell out of those lyrics. If you didn’t feel it earlier on in the record, you will feel it here.
Sweet Melancholy is a profound exploration of love, loss, and personal growth, wrapped in a dreamy and intricate sonic landscape. Dolce Blue has truly matured since their debut, delivering an album that resonates deeply with relatable themes and vivid storytelling. This deluxe edition is a testament to their artistic growth and emotional depth, making it a must-listen for fans and newcomers alike.
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Highlight Songs:
Nothing Bad
Falling (feat. Bridget Cleary)
Problem
Sugar Free
Rise and Fall
Typical Kind of Fun
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Own it, Stream it, Forget about it?
Sweet Melancholy is a record that may contain some end-of-year top songs of 2024, and all together may find itself in the top album releases of 2024. Granted there are a few more months before that is all put together, but that alone should be enough of a reason to own this record. If you choose to stream it, then stream the hell out of it. Make sure Dolce Blue gets that streaming money!
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Overall Rating:
5 Stars
