Album Review: Normandie – Dopamine (Easy Life Records)

This is a drug record, but not in the way you might think.

Chances are, if you’re reading this you’re burnt out. You’re tired, you’re stressed, you’re working. You’re surviving. So what do we do? We consume. Turning to screens, alcohol, substances and transactional relationships for a quick fix of dopamine, a little endorphin rush, a sharp boost of oxytocin.

As we move along, our tolerance for all of these things rises, and our capacity to operate without them falls. We block up our neurotransmitters, and need more and more hits just to function and feel human. Put simply, it’s addiction.

It’s ruining our brains, taking over our lives, but it’s all so… gratifying.

Set in a not-too-distant and – crucially – not-at-all-unrealistic future, Normandie’s fourth album, ‘Dopamine’ finds the band asking and answering two unsettling questions: what if we pushed our brains and bodies far beyond their limits?

And what if we already are?

The Swedish rockers will release Dopamine on February 9th, 2024, via Easy Life Records.

Big and thought-provoking words from Normandie, which certainly gives this album a lot more weight. Even without this knowledge, the depth of feeling and their expressions are clear across the entirety of the record. Putting it simply, what Normandie have to say here, matters.

Alongside that, it’s also an album of Normandie alternative modern rock anthems. They’re back and they’re picking up exactly where they left off. Beginning things in a fashionable way with Overdrive. Fashionable because it’s all the rage to utilise effects and electronica these days, and this track exemplifies this reality. One hell of a catchy number, none the less.

Which is par for the course with this entire album, of course, this is Normandie after all. The following Serotonin and Flowers for the Grave is them through and through, combining rock groove, emphatic pop melodies, erratic electronica, and bringing it all together in the chorus. Although when it comes to choruses that most will be singing for hours, days, and weeks afterwards, look no further than the brilliant Blood in the Water. It really doesn’t get more infectious than this.

Though fans of Normandie aren’t going to be left wanting as the album goes on and the band continue to deliver thoughtful messages and unforgettable music with Ritual, Butterflies, Colorblind, and Hourglass. The latter of which features Bury Tomorrow’s Dani Winter-Bates. An exciting guest vocalist inclusion on a track that is one of the more layered and unique sounding tracks of all.

Fear not though, this album is totally rooted in modern rock, and has an accessibility that will see listeners far and wide enjoying themselves here. When they’re delivering emotive and honest tunes like Sorry, big bangers like All In My Head, and undeniably infectious body-movers like Glue.

We’ve missed you, Normandie.

Normandie – Dopamine Track Listing:

1. Overdrive
2. Serotonin
3. Flowers For the Grave
4. Blood In the Water
5. Ritual
6. Butterflies
7. Colorblind
8. Hourglass (featuring Dani Winter-Bates)
9. Sorry
10. All In My Head
11. Glue

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