Dool – The Shape of Fluidity

Coming out just as the pandemic basically snoozed the world, Dool were unlucky with their previous album, Summerland. Well unlucky because they had their absolute career highlight on their hands and one of the strongest albums of 2020 and promoting it was suddenly almost compromised, to put it mildly. On the other hand, with such an eminent album out there, the universal critical acclaim was inevitable and that was the best promotion the band could wish for. In a given situation, anyway.

Summerland possessed that quality of sheer, well, quality, but there was also a commercial excellence to it, which gave it a broader appeal. At the same time the emotional weight gave it a rather relatable layer and that’s perhaps something all of us needed anno 2020.

So, taking all that into the consideration, it comes as no surprise that the band has taken a similar path with the follow-up. But while musically there might not be much new on The Shape of Fluidity, the overall progress of the band is rather evident. How so?

Well, on this album Dool goes even deeper, exploring the vulnerability of being a part of current global society. The struggle of finding place in the rapidly changing environments is addressed on The Shape of Fluidity in a way that is vulnerable and anxious, but at the same time determined. And while the themes on the new album are most certainly current, they are also universal and timeless.

The band comes across just as sophisticated as they did on Summerland, but they seem to have worked even more on the underlying movements of the music, on The Shape of Fluidity. That adds to that emotional gut feeling and makes the album come across as additionally accomplished.

Taking into consideration the commercial appeal at hand, it’s ballsy for Dool to open with a seven-minute-long song, also being one of the songs released ahead of the album release. “Self-Dissect” follows, and it’s one of the highlights of the album, which feels longer than it is in the best way possible. A quality rarely experienced. Title track-carries the same weight as the title-track off the predecessor does and “Evil in You” displays an outstanding flow and with a single cleverly placed melody twist it gives the entire song an additional level.

Production-wise, The Shape of Fluidity is basically flawless, building further on the sound established on its predecessor. Sonically, the album is huge sounding without it sounding pompous, but rather underling the album’s emotional theme. Instrumentation brilliance never comes across as flashy, but rather as supportive, and the overall guitar-work is utterly tasteful. And just how impressive it is that the same can be said about vocal performance and the lyrics? Add to all of that (!) rich arrangements, which work in service songs and the album as a whole, and we’re getting rather close to Summerland levels here.

There is a nerve and appeal to this band, and they balance it better than most. The sophistication of the material interlocks perfectly with its emotional depth, which on the other hand balances its intensity with commercial qualities. And they do it all without sacrificing their integrity.

With all that in mind, Dool has somehow come to fill the void left after Anathema called it quits, and they did it by sounding completely like themselves.

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