dodie - Not For Lack Of Trying

For over a decade, North London-born singer dodie has used her songs as a diary, tracing mental health, adolescence, and messy relationships. When she crossed from YouTuber to musician in 2016, her following was already in place; now 29, she’s still writing her way through uncertainty.

‘Not For Lack of Trying’ finds dodie developing her confessional singer-songwriter style into full orchestral compositions, adding richness and warmth. The cinematic string-arranged opening to the chorus on ‘I’M FINE’ is a highlight, as is the luminous arrangement that backs ‘Different’, which is so vibrant it could stand as its own track. In contrast, ‘Now’ strips to bare bones, its stacking harmonies gently building the track from the bottom up, while the minor-key harmonies in ‘Hold Tight’ give the track a spectral quality.

‘I Feel Bad For You, Dave’ nods to bossa nova in the vein of beabadoobee’s ‘The Perfect Pair’, its tongue-in-cheek lyrics ripping the modern man to shreds: “Lets everyone know that he can do a push-up / Then he’ll do a pushup”. But while this style works well here, it falters on ‘Darling, Angel, Baby’. An ode to her cat Mrs, it’s a ray of warmth within a turbulent album, but cheesy lyrics (“You’re such a cool cat”, “She likes her edamame”) risk clouding it over.

Throughout the album, hidden instrumental flourishes surface with repeat plays, though some stay too buried. Elsewhere, the decadent production swallows her breathy voice (‘The Answer’, ‘Hold Fire’). The album closes with resolve despite the doubt: “Lend me joy, I can’t see mine / But not for lack of trying”. It lands like a quiet manifesto: proof that even when times are tough, she keeps powering through.