The Dø - "Miracles (Back In Time)"

After the release of their new single "Keep Your Lips Sealed" two short months ago, Finnish/French experimental pop duo The Dø have pretty much hit the ground running with album details while also keeping those details to the bare minimum. While their influences/inspirations range pretty from all over (but mostly rap/r&b), the duo's new single "Miracles (Back in Time)" is still very much a part of their expectation-defying, genre-trouncing style.

"Miracles", manages to rely on many of the conventions of electronic music without allowing itself to be defined by them. In "Miracles" there's a deft but minimal use of samples that grant the tune an elevated sense of grandeur all the while the vocal lines are smooth and fluid rather unlike the glitchy and clipped pacing of "Keep Your Lips Sealed" all the while the drum beats rebound cavernously with the notable lack of accompaniment. There's no gallop toward a climax, rather the tune revels in its own simplicity, building up and breaking apart its layers before they become too complex in different combination and configurations. Unlike other tracks by The Dø that pit Olivia Merilahti' vocals firmly on par with whatever the band's cooked up, there's a notable stripping back, Merilahti (though more than competent to) doesn't need to exert a whole lot of effort to maintain focus. It's an interesting turn for a band that's skilled at making beauty out of the clamor but one that's ultimately successful as the twosome make a surprisingly catchy pop jam from only a handful of elements.



The Dø's upcoming third album Shake Shook Shaken will be out September of this year.