by Kris Handel
After a couple of singles and an EP, NY trio Debbie Dopamine have been making their presence known with a shimmering musical and lyrical intensity that produces crushing blows and unflinching insight into their inner world. On their new single "Worried," the band continue their propensity for deep diving into a whirlpool of emotions only to come out the other side with a steely strength and empowerment that continues to bloom. "Worried" starts out solemnly with a sparse guitar line and rattling cymbals as Katie Ortiz breaks in with a quietly stormy quivering vocal before trumpet, via Tree Palmedo, adds a tinge more melancholy.
Ortiz presents as a narrator peering over the edge of sanity, tackling the emotional upheaval of depression, questioning if what appears as outside empathy is actually genuine. Her vocals veer between vulnerable and wrathful before an explosion of stinging guitar riffs bounce off booming bass and clattering drums in a relentless and forceful maelstrom. "Worried" shows off the ever growing stirring passion and fury that drives Ortiz's songs and the accompaniment of bassist/guitarist Dylan Lapointe and drummer Zach Rescignano adds an appropriate amount of muscle and innate musical understanding. There is an impressive guile and relentlessness to each song Debbie Dopamine breaks out, confronting problems and perceptions that threaten to strangle progress. Their songwriting marks the band as a group that has so many ideas to share which is something that is quite exciting.