Dolours – Blunt

In the modern post-punk scene, it has become so rare to stumble upon a music outlet that avoids all cliches and delivers something more than predictable, repetitive, bland, same-old sound, crafted, recorded, and released by the greats decades ago. But every once in a while, a band appears that understands that for a rich, complex, expansive sound, you need to put in extra effort, breaking all the rules of contemporary post-punk music. In order to sound good, you need to shapeshift the stylistic boundaries and go far away from anything the modern scene has to offer, and Dolours do exactly that. With “Blunt,” their latest standalone single released today via all streaming platforms, they deliver a post-punk experience rarely heard or seen nowadays. To understand how this band differs from any other contemporary act, you need to dive deep into their stylistic approach. Surely, the traditional post-punk dominates the most, as the band incorporated all the fundamental elements of the genre into each segment, but what really makes this song so catchy, memorable, and captivating is a comprehensive collection of additional genres. You’ll notice how some of the finest properties borrowed from darkwave, goth, and industrial, alternative, and indie have found their place in this sonic equation, and while some of those decorate the entire structure, others act as enhancements, accentuations, decorations, and other tiny details and nuances that uplift this song to new heights. There are moments where you realize how much time, effort, heart, and soul Dolours poured into writing, composing, arranging, and producing this fine piece of sonic artistry. While “Blunt” resonates with the ambiance that vividly depicts all the significant eras of post-punk and darkwave, it’s also important to note how they infused qualities that align with the trends in modern music production. The band expertly blends the melody and aggression of those genres, but in so many ways, escapes the trap many bands fall into. By merging those qualities, they did not sacrifice tiny details, nuances, and layers. Quite the contrary, everything is hearable in the mix, thanks to the modern production that emphasizes marvelous musicianship over piles of distortion. Therefore, “Blunt” is one of those songs that will not only appeal to the longtime post-punk fans but also to anyone who appreciates cleverly assembled and flawlessly performed music.

With the initial notes and beats, you’ll realize that you’ll not be dealing with just a plain and simple post-punk song. Dolours put an extra effort into building a song structure that leaves a lasting impact and rewards repeated listens. Everything is so vividly hearable in the mix  that you’ll easily notice all those clever arrangements, profoundly detailed segments, brilliant ideas, and orchestral layers, lurking around and building a melodic, melancholic, ethereal, otherworldly, mechanical atmosphere. Each vocal, sonic, and rhyhtmic maneuver has its place and purpose here, building an epic voyage where organic and industrial soundscapes collide harmoniously. And you’ll definitely notice how the soulful, passionate, sincere, confident, powerful, melodic vocal performance serves as a centerpiece, elevating everything to new heights, commanding attention, and guiding listeners through each segment. This marvelous performance effortlessly balances low, mid, and high notes with such precision and finesse, immensely supporting everything that all the instruments intended to achieve here. There’s a certain way in which these vocal harmonies operate throughout the entire composition. With its catchy, memorable, engaging melodies, the vocals not only decorate every segment and orchestration, but also contribute more than necessary emotional depth and complexity over an already intricate structure. Speaking of the instrumentation, it’s nearly mindblowing how the thoughtfully crafted interplay between synths and guitars works during the entire song. You’ll notice how the guitars deliver raw, abrasive, unfiltered, aggressive guitar on one side while the other side shines with captivating synth leads, themes, melodies, harmonies, pads, and other sonic maneuvers. These orchestrations create such a perfect, dark, melancholic, melodic backdrop for all the vocals to shine upon, and it’s nearly mindblowing how those instrumental layers articulate without overwhelming each other. Beneath all those lush soundscapes, the bass guitar rumbles and contributes more than necessary heaviness, clarity, and depth while acting as a binding element between the mentioned instrumentations and rhythmic patterns. These low ends provide warmth, detail, and groove where this song demands the most, without ever overwhelming the remainder of the sonic maneuvers. In the meantime, the rhythmic patterns bring that motorik, industrial dynamics. Through a steady, precise, cleverly arranged, and flawlessly performed collection of beats, breaks, fills, accentuations, and other percussive acrobatics, the drummer keeps the band in line while dictating groove and pace. Each hit of the snare and kick of the bass drum offers more groove and power, while the accentuations on the hi-hat and splashes on cymbals contribute more detail. Everything is so tastefully assembled to satisfy even the pickiest post-punk, darkwave, and industrial fans.

With “Blunt,” Dolours demonstrate a new, improved, fascinating face of post-punk music. They prove that post-punk, as a longstanding music genre, still has so much to offer. Their dedication to the craft, creativity, skills, brilliant ideas, and willingness to push this style even further into uncharted sonic territories goes beyond comprehension many times throughout the entire song. With four wise, skillful, creative musicians who know their sonic direction right from the start, Dolours stands as a remarkable phenomenon that pushes boundaries of post-punk music. You should immediately place “Blunt” on your music radar, because it is a fine piece of sonic artistry that stands out from anything you could possibly hear on a contemporary music scene. Do not miss it!