REVIEW: The Dodos – ‘Individ’

Artist: The Dodos
Album: Individ
Genre: Indie Rock, Folk
Label: Polyvinyl Records

This is a confession I am willing to make: I have never really listened to The Dodos, or at least given them the attention they deserved. But after listening to their past albums, especially Visiter and Carrier, I didn’t have to think twice about embracing the creations of this fantastic duo from San Francisco. It was awe-inspiring to dive into unfamiliar territory and feel comforted by the indie-folk this duo has put out. This is where the band’s newest album Individ comes into play. Their sixth album overall as a band, members Meric Long and Logan Kroeber took the next step in their songwriting with this release and really outdid themselves, while still capturing the roots of their sound they have mastered over the course of their career.

The record begins with “Precipitation,” which is a slow but wondrous track that builds up from an uncanny progression to an explosive outcry of music and vocals soaring to the highest peak. “The Tide” continues the journey with a steady drum pattern and furious guitar parts blown out of all parameters, while “Bubbles” shows exquisite musicianship, especially with a sliding guitar pattern that will surely woo the listener. My favorite track on the record is the lead single, “Competition.” It’s already becoming one of my most listened to chord melodies this year and could be deemed a more “aggressive” track on Individ.

“Darkness” serves as the predominant acoustic track with dual guitars impressively inter-layered with each other. “Goodbyes And Endings” may serve only as a track name but it is long from what it implies for it welcomes an astounding display of catchy verses and a guitar lick that will undoubtedly be ingrained in your mind. “Retriever” continues the formula the duo has perfected and shows the consistency of the sound of the record while “Bastard” slows the tempo of the album with an explosive use of a tom-tom and tambourine in the rhythm section, not to mention the achy and emotional vocals from Long that are heard throughout. “Pattern/Shadow” is an epic closing track and the literal meaning of the song is adamant in that different patterns and melodies of the song are shadowed in the most diligent way, presumably intentionally.

This record truly showed me that having your own unique sound can take you to dimensions you could hardly imagine, but ones you’ve striven for nonetheless. That’s the challenge that was bestowed upon The Dodos and I see the evolution as shown in the final product that is Individ. This album will truly open yet another path for the band to explore; another journey put before them.

SCORE: 8/10
Review written by Ryan Kappy

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