Listen: Dopamine - Ladysse
Dopamine arrives like a warm blanket, Ladysse’s vocals hushed against bubbling bass and soft melodic synths. If the verse is a blanket, the chorus is a rush - an upbeat hook that lands a vocal about wanting to “drown in happy” with exactly the sublime darkness you would expect.
Dopamine is a song about the need to constantly chase the high of feeling satisfied… Something that can almost become it’s own driver of unhappiness.
The song was written in Nashville by Ladysse, real name Stephanie Lauren, in collaboration with producers Andrew Hansen and Aaron Ruiz (aka Skyline Brigade). Together they have created something that claims to land at the midpoint between Robyn’s dance sound and St Vincent’s attitude. Lauren’s likeness to St Vincent was something I touched on when Ladysse last appeared on BlackPlastic.co.uk. Overall Dopamine sounds wonderfully fun and approachable, but ultimately has something real to say.
Talking about the song, Lauren says:
“I’ve had a lot of people in my life turn to drugs or substances of some kind to deal with depression and mental health. It’s so hard to watch the ones you care about go down this road. I’ve definitely had my battles with depression and mental health, honestly who hasn’t? I think the message I want this song to bring is that it’s ok to reach out when you need help. It’s ok to be alone and try to deal with your thoughts if that’s what you need. What’s not ok is to turn to things that will ultimately cause more harm than good.”