ARTIST: Third Eye Blind
ALBUM: Dopamine
LABEL: Mega Collider
RELEASE DATE: June 16, 2015
The Struggle
Written by Silas Valentino
Long gone are the days – and this is an unfortunate realization – when Third Eye Blind dared to take a chance with their music. Previous pop nuggets “Never Let You Go” and “Burning Man” best exhibit the catchy musical might Stephan Jenkins and team could offer while lyrically, Jenkins was an apothecary who cleverly convinced America’s soccer moms to hum along with provocative and sexually-charged lyrics: “She comes round and she goes down on me/And I make her smile, like a drug for you/” – from their calling card number “Semi Charmed Life” – and he certainly earned his success.
18 years have passed since their debut and Jenkins returns with a whole new cast of musicians (besides longtime drummer Brad Hargreaves) to produce Dopamine, the San Franciscan band’s fifth album. Although this album is not a clunker, it can’t seem to produce a quality identity and ultimately falls flat, remaining easily unrecognizable in the cutthroat radio pop rock realm. Their blades are dull and the dope nose is crusty: “But I know I mean nothing/I’m just drugs to you/Still I’m jonesing like a fiend/So line me up that Dopamine/” says the chorus of the record’s title track. Third Eye Blind’s current lack of rush suggests they’re lost without the gamble.
First song/first single is “Everything Is Easy,” a simple pop rock song where Jenkins suggests rolling his heart up like a joint. There aren’t many noticeable or distinguishable qualities in this introduction but it’s not template for the remaining ten tracks.
Mid album relief comes in the form of an inspired piano ballad titled “Something In You.” The band has toured arenas with Oasis and this past grandeur appears to have returned. It’s a slow riser, setting the scene with only Jenkins, sampled synths and the keys, but the gradual additions of guitar and percussion elevate “Something In You” to an album peak that climaxes during the song’s closing minute. At this time, Jenkins adopts a howl fit for Dave Grohl and the band responds with tight supportive company. It’s the closest fans have for a moment reminiscent of their 1997 debut where a Third Eye Blind song could end with a twist – like the elongated drum roll closing out their hit “Jumper.”
Solace reappears during the endearing “All These Things” where Jenkins celebrates sobriety and art, name checking Jackson Pollock and John Coltrane in the process. He begins by giving a shoutout to his mother over an acoustic guitar melody fit for a successful T.V. commercial and annunciates his words with conviction. He sounds confident in his alcoholic/Pollock rhyme scheme and the sell is sweet. It’s the shortest song on the album – with only 2:25 on the clock – and proves Jenkins can still crank out quick, satisfying pop songs with ease.
Dopamine reaches its close with “Say It” which attempts to reclaim some of the heights reached by “Something In You” with an energized finale but mostly miss the mark. Though careful listeners who wait a few moments after the track fades out are met with an odd electro coda. It’s nice to hear Third Eye Blind recalling traditions by providing a twist ending. This provides a glimmer of hope for a band that deserves a proper legacy. Third Eye Blind is more than a Nineties flash in the pan but Jenkins jinxes this point by deciding to keep the name while ditching a vast majority of the original band. This is more of a solo outing than any Third Eye Blind effort and the name hoarding ends up hurting.
In promoting the album Jenkins responded to fans in a Reddit Ask Me Anything forum where he summarized the album as: “Dopamine is more about a search for authenticity and connection in this increasingly isolated and isolating culture of ours.” This was how he hears the album – really what matters is how do you?