Label: Disruptor Records/Columbia Records
Released: 1st December 2023
Dove Cameron’s debut album ‘Alchemical: Volume 1’ is laser-focused pop with a modern sheen. Short, sharp and direct, it’s the sound of Dove firmly asserting herself as a rising star.
The opening track ‘Lethal Woman’ is a big ol’ dramatic opening statement full of clanging and crashing electro beats and a wonderfully dead-eyed vocal – like a pop cyborg with her radar set to turbo banger. She brings it down again with the sweet and lilting ‘Still’ before ramping things up again as ‘Breakfast’ rides in on its fevered groove, featuring the iconic line “I eat boys like you for breakfast”. It’s the contrast between these sonic rushes and tender laments that make this record compelling.
Elsewhere, the songs are evocative and engaging, especially on the softer moments like the ornate ballad ‘Fragile Things’ while Dove also shows smart popnous in knowing exactly when to go hard on the sashaying, playfully dark calling card single ‘Boyfriend’. A short debut lasting only 22 minutes but packed with dynamism and light and shade, it leaves you tantalisingly wanting more from an artist on the precipice of pop glory.
