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She followed that up with the announcement of her second album ‘Not For Lack of Trying’ and the jazzy, bossa nova pop song ‘I Feel Bad For You, Dave’, which sported lyrics satirising the current state of online masculinity and a music video starring legendary actor Jeff Goldblum.
After releasing those two complex and thoughtful tracks, the choice for the third single seems obvious: a song about how much Dodie loves her cat.
‘Darling, Angel, Baby’, which features Dodie’s FIZZ bandmate (and flatmate) Greta Isaac on backing vocals, is a delightful, chilled-out slice of the same chamber pop that Dodie has been giving us for years at this point. The song follows a very simple, pared-back verse-chorus-verse structure that helps its subject matter shine through.
Often, the lyrics fall in line with what one might expect from a typical love song. Lines like “No one could know me like you do / Many have tried, nothing's quite like holding you” or “when you’re ready come and kiss me on the face” wouldn’t feel out of place in an ode to a lover, but when dedicated to a pet (as confirmed in an Instagram post), these lines take on a playful meaning, a loving tribute to how important pets can be in our lives.
Perhaps the most memorable line in the song (barring the repeated chorus “Darling / Angel / Baby / Mrs”) comes during the outro, as Dodie and Isaac repeat the line “She loves her edamame!”. It’s a fun and off-kilter way to round out the track that matches the energy set by some of the cheeky lines earlier in the track.
The song gets much of its musical power from the blending of the two voices on the track. Dodie and Isaac mesh well together as they double up their voices throughout the entire song. There are some interesting decisions made instrumentally, such as the subtle distorted guitar flourishes during the chorus, and the track is as well-produced as the two singles that came before, thanks to Dodie and co-producer Joe Rubel.
The track also received a quirky lyric video animated by Max Turnbull. The video splits its time between simple 3-D renderings of simple interactions between Dodie, Isaac, and their cat, alongside more comedic scenes of the two musicians practically worshipping the pet in front of a large audience, laying on a bed of edamame beans, or references to the classic ‘Circle of Life’ sequence from Disney’s ‘The Lion King’. ‘Darling, Angel, Baby’ is a nice and simple tune that acts as a moment to breathe after the subject matter of the album’s previous singles. ‘Not For Lack of Trying’ releases October 3rd and is sure to be a great time if these singles are anything to go off.
Ash Douglas
Image: Charlotte Hadden @charlottehadden
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