Build A Problem

For the past year, one of my favorite artists, dodie clark, has been working on her first full album titled Build A Problem. This YouTube based singer has been churning out fantastic tunes for nearly ten years, and after subscribing to her channel in the past five years, it has truly been amazing to see her growth on and outside of YouTube. She has an amazing quiet power in her songs. The lyrics are so raw and poignant, and the music can be anywhere from soft and sweet to the rumblings of a storm. While the new album won’t be available in full until March 5th of this year, dodie has already gifted us with a few official and unofficial versions of what’s to come in this incredible debut! Here is a quick view at some of my favorites that she has released in one way or another.

Hate Myself: “Hate Myself” is actually the newest song for this album thus far; the final version was released just last week as an adorable music video in which we see dodie struggle to be the best postwoman she can be for a small town. This song is somehow very heartwarming and inspirational despite the somewhat bleak themes of feeling a disconnect in conversation with a friend. The harmonies, as is typical of dodie’s work, are immaculate, and the video is such a joy to watch. It is a wonderful introduction to her work that is filled with so many opposites beautifully juxtaposed against each other; somewhat depressing themes presented in a danceable catchy tune, grey-sepia toned visuals that can range from surreal and dramatic to heartwarming and absolutely bonkers! This is also the first song from the album that we have not already heard since the release date video announcement on her YouTube channel, so definitely check it out!

Anything: So this song has not actually been posted as it will be heard in the album, but it is one of my favorite ALOSIA songs that will be on the b-side of Build A Problem. ALOSIA is one of the highlights of being a dodie fan, because it stands for A Lot Of Songs In August. There will be eight polished up versions of these wonderful songs, and one of them, “Anything,” is an absolute treat. This song about wanting to hold on to a relationship fills like flying over clouds of whipped cream; as the chorus glides through the lines “anything, anything / for another run with you” you can feel your face slide into a comforted smile, being lifted by the sweet sounds of dodie’s ukulele. That’s right: dodie plays ukulele, and it is not your typical YouTube girl who can only play four chords. She is incredibly talented at making the ukulele a versatile and lovely instrument for her songwriting, and it shines through in this song in particular, sounding more like a guitar than a ukulele. This song is not on Spotify yet, but you can (and should) watch the demo version on dodie’s main YouTube channel, doddleoddle.

Boys Like You: This is one of the first fully produced music videos for the album that came out before the announcement of there even being a full-length album, and I was so excited to find out that it would be on Build A Problem. “Boys Like You” is definitely a deeper dive into dodie’s more pop side, yet the lyrics still dig into your soul. It’s a song about the disgusting feeling of being drawn to someone you know does not love you the way they should, and the music video is a wonderful compliment to the lyrics as we see a character of dodie dancing in circles with a guy who clearly is there for the dance of it all and not dodie. In contrast, the music of the song makes you want to shimmy and sway with its infectious rhythm. If you are more into the pop side of indie music, this is the song for you!

Another amazing thing about this upcoming album is that it is a two sider, meaning there are over twenty two songs! The amount of talent, time, and effort being put into Build A Problem is truly mind boggling, and I can’t wait for you to hear it! “Boys Like You” and “Hate Myself” are both available on Spotify, but I highly recommend also watching the music videos because they do an amazing job of telling the story in a unique way. I could honestly write so many more articles about dodie’s music over the past five years, so if you like what you hear, definitely check out her myriad of songs on YouTube and/or her two EPs on Spotify You and Intertwined. I hope you enjoy these tracks, stay safe, stay tuned, and have a great week!

dodie’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/doddleoddle/videos

dodie’s Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/21TinSsF5ytwsfdyz5VSVS