Alternative pop-rock band Dolce Blue are excited to announce the release of their 20-track album Sweet Melancholy Deluxe. This expanded edition, out via Blue Grey Pink on July 5, features 4 new tracks and 3 alternative versions of tracks, enhancing the original album’s hauntingly beautiful narrative and theme of balancing the sweet with the melancholic.
Building on the success of their sophomore album Sweet Melancholy released in mid 2023 and celebrated shortly after with a nation-wide tour including an unofficial BIGSOUND showcase, the past 12 months has seen the band be finalists in Happy Mag’s ‘Needle in The Hay’ competition, and place in the top 20 in WAM (West Australian Music) ‘Song of The Year’ awards – all whilst revealing their extended LP with the release of tracks Sugar Free, Typical Kind of Fun, and Dream Catcher ft. Finn Pearson.
Featuring 7 additional songs the band were not afraid to push the release into new sonic terrains and really showcase their versatility. With Sugar Free as a transitional track more aligned with the original LP, the release then evolves to be more collaborative with Rise and Fall and Typical Kind of Fun seeing the band’s drummer Brody Honey co-writing and singing for the first time, and Dream Catcher ft. Finn Pearson bringing WAM Song of the Year award winner and “one of the state’s most exciting new additions in the past two years or so” (Pilerats), Finn Pearson into the mix for a re-release of a fan favourite. There’s an exotic flare with Valentino (Italiano), a re-work of a track about Dolce’s favourite cat transformed into an Italian alt-rock hit, in addition to catchy pop-rock ballad Little Games, before closing with Dinosaurs (extinction edition) an emotional rendition of the final track on the original album, but recorded live in the studio with just a piano and singer/ songwriter Veronica Zurzolo in the way she had originally written the song.
Explaining the motivation behind the deluxe edition, Veronica shares, “Sweet Melancholy has been a really special release for Dolce Blue, and we felt we weren’t quite ready to move on from it yet – but rather celebrate it further with a deluxe rendition. I hope listeners can get a new appreciation for the album and find something new that is hopefully interesting and relatable.”
Recorded with Michael Strong at You’re Weird Mixing (Pat Chow, Odlaw, Veruca Moon, Stacy Ann), co-produced between Veronica and Michael, and released on West Australian Music (WAM) Label of the Year winners Blue Grey Pink, Dolce Blue continue to expand their impressive catalogue. Drawing comparisons to the dreamy sounds of Alvvays, Best Coast, and Australian pioneers such as San Cisco and Ball Park Music, the band take inspiration from a range of artists they look up to including; Arctic Monkeys, Mac DeMarco, The Black Keys, Lana Del Rey, Kali Uchis, and Joy Division, creating soundtracks that are equally enjoyed by the poolside, or on your daily commute.
Dolce Blue’s Sweet Melancholy Deluxe is out now, via Blue Grey Pink.
