Doves: “Renegade” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
And the winner of the “How the fuck do they still keep cranking out the quality tunes after all these years?” award goes to….Doves.
The lush, atmospheric soundscapes. The no-frills, gut-punch lyrics. It’s everything you’d want from a band firing on all cylinders. Pure class.
“Renegade” draws you into a world of dark despair. It drags you right into the shadows where the only lifeline is that tiny, flickering spark of hope. It’s raw, it’s real, and it doesn’t sugarcoat. The message is loud and clear.
It drags you towards the blindingly obvious fact that the world can be a shit place to live in at times. But we can, and always will get through it.
It makes you wonder what they’ve got in store for us on their forthcoming album, “Constellations for the Lonely”, due for release on Valentine’s Day in 2025. I’d be pretty confident it will be a better alternative to a bunch of overpriced roses.
“Renegade” is dark. It’s gloomy. It’s the perfect antidote to “Wonderful Christmastime”.
The keyboard chimes right at the start indicate that life’s too short. It’s a ticking clock.
Whatever you’ve been putting off doing, make sure you grab it by the balls next year, because “You know that everything expires.”
Life's too short, but don’t despair. Doves have got your back.
