British music sensation Dodie is back at it again with a beautiful new single. Dodie released her newest song, “Cool Girl” on Oct. 19, the same day she announced her upcoming debut album “Build a Problem”, which will be released on March 5. The announcement was prefaced by about two weeks of videos on her YouTube channel, “doddlevloggle,” in which she slowly knitted the letters for “Build a Problem” in a hang-man style puzzle.  This new single shows promise for her upcoming album and I am very excited to hear more from her. 

First and foremost, this single is beautiful, and I expected nothing less. I have been repeatedly impressed by Dodie’s releases over the years, and the talent only grows. I continue to fall in love with her music, and this only added to the love. “Cool Girl" is a beautiful song that was originally played as a demo on YouTube in April. Dodie uploaded a series of videos titles “ALOSIA (A lot of songs in April)", and this song was included in the lot. 

The instrumental for this song is a little more simple than most of her discography. There is a basic repeating line in the background with some drums, and that’s it. This is the perfect opportunity that she uses to show off her soft voice and smooth harmonies. Once the song picks up, there are some added strings in the back that make the sound swirl around your head. It’s dynamic and beautiful. 

The harmonies are sure to fill any room and your head. It feels like a spinning top, slowly building and building and then leaving you breathless. I fell in love at first listen and have had this song on repeat since. It has not left my head and I’m thrilled about it. The melody of the song shows off her higher register well, it’s soft and floaty and wonderful. The song rises and falls well, and you can almost feel it in your chest. 

Listening to this song in the car or in some sort of surround-sound is ideal. It is a genuinely wonderful experience. Feeling the bass of the song radiate in your bones and the harmonies swirl and fill your head like smoke is something I cannot recommend enough for this song. It enhances the listening experience more than you would believe. 

There was also a lyric video posted to the “doddleoddle” YouTube channel. The muted and soft colors fit perfectly with the song. The color palette seems to be a theme amongst the album as well. The covers for both the single and the album are drenched in muted tans, creams, and blacks. It is delicate, yet beautiful. The photo set previews released on her website are beautifully playful and stunning, another reason to get excited for the upcoming release. 

The music video for “Cool Girl” premiered on YouTube on Nov. 2. The video is stunningly gorgeous, just like the rest of the song. It features Dodie along with six other women dancing in a room. The dance is dramatic and interpretive, it is slow and powerful. The muted tones of the video adds to the somber energy of the song and accentuates all the right parts of the music. It is simplistic yet beautiful.

I admit, the first time I listened to the song I was emotional. Not only was I excited for the new song, but I am excited for the new album as well. It blows my mind that the upcoming album is her debut. Dodie has released EP’s in the past, but this will be her first full length album. “Build a Problem” will contain her two most recent singles, “Guiltless” and “Boys Like You”, as well as revisiting some old favorites like “Rainbow” and “When”, which are some of my favorite songs of hers. The deluxe version of the album will also include several songs from ALOSIA as demos and bonus tracks. 

I have not been so excited about a release in a long time. I think it’s a great thing to look forward to going into 2021. Hopefully this is a foreshadowing to a better year and better times. I am so excited to hear the new album and I adore the new single with every fiber of my being. “Cool Girl” is available for download on every major streaming site, and “Build A Problem” is available for pre-order on her website (us.dodie.co or www.dodie.co) and on streaming sites as well. 

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