Above a wall of guitars, crashing drums and waves of white noise, Doe’s primary vocalist and guitarist Nicola Leel growls “If I could, I’d kick you in the face, and I’d feel better!”. Coming smack bang in the bridge of ‘No 1’, the opening track on Doe’s debut album ‘Some Things Last Longer Than You,’ Leel encapsulates Doe’s mandate; Doe don’t care what you think, Doe are gonna kick you in the teeth if you talk smack, and Doe are gonna feel good about it.
It’s a marked change from Doe’s previous output; more extroverted, more confident whilst still retaining a playfulness and charm. Since forming in 2013, the three-piece have put out a huge quantity of EPs, splits and singles, their Sleater Kinney inspired indie-punk introspection becoming a regular fixture on the DIY circuit. But ‘Some Things Last Longer Than You’ feels bolder, more focused on taking the fight to those who the band feel have wronged them. There is still room for introspection, as on the self-defeating anxious millennial anthem ‘Anywhere’, but now it’s complemented by brash anger, a confidence that infects this inward-looking perspective.
Leel has gone on to say that: “a lot of the themes on the album centre around not taking shit from anyone and although it’s quite scathing in places, it’s musically playful and has a wry charm”. If this is their aim, Doe achieve it with bravado. Lead single ‘Sincere’ aims itself at mansplainers, with Leel’s sarcastic, scathing declaration of “congratulate yourself on doing nothing!” backed up with dual guitar grit that explodes in the choruses. Doe combat insincerity with blunt musical aggression, feeding off a juxtaposition that aggravates the band.
Although Doe have pushed their sound out in a different direction on the album – most notably through the addition of second guitarist Dean Smitten -, there are some constants, such as the dual harmonies between Leel and drummer Jake Popyura, dextrous guitar lines and crashing choruses. The thread that runs through this album allows cuts like “Corin,” an up-tempo rocker that brings to mind its Sleater Kinney namesake, to sit comfortably on the same album as the ultra downbeat and broody ‘Respite’, an almost six minute long introspection that gets its kicks on the itchy anxiety mortality brings.
Make no mistake, marrying the two vastly opposing themes of indie-introversion and punk combatitiveness is no easy task. But Doe pull it off, resulting in a fleshed-out album where the differing perspectives complement the band’s overall sound. And as Leel sings on ‘Last Ditch’ “let me go and find all the answers to all the things I’m afraid to ask,” there’s a confidence that arises from the honesty of admitting your own flaws, a confidence that comes from calling out bullshit, a confidence in knowing that although you might not be where you want to be, you’re on the right path. Brash, confident, self-aware and infinitely danceable, ‘Some Things Last Longer Than You’ is a bold leap in a new direction for Doe.
MATTHEW WILSON