Album Review: Not For Lack Of Trying by Dodie

dodie's latest album, Not For Lack of Trying, stands as an intimate and tender follow-up to her 2021 debut, Build a Problem. Soft piano and muted guitar strokes thread throughout the record, accentuating her wistful vocals. The production is immaculate, but many of the songs follow a similar arc: gentle strumming on acoustic guitar swelling into a fuller sound of strings and vocal harmonies.

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Known primarily for YouTube covers, quirky vlogs, and her most recent venture as part of the supergroup pop collective FIZZ (alongside Orla Gartland, Greta Isaac, and Martin Luke Brown), with her second record, dodie is firmly cementing herself as a true multifaceted wonder. Offering a delightful dozen tracks, ‘not for lack of trying’ shows dodie at her most raw and vulnerable, and frankly, her best. Exploring narratives of ego (‘I Feel Bad For You, Dave’), feline companionship (‘Darling, Angel, Baby’), introspection (‘I'M FINE!’), and avoidance of important discussions (‘Hold Fire’) – dodie traverses all corners of young adulthood.

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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.

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