Recording their first demo in 1993, Third Eye Blind became a staple for the 90s music genre. With hit karaoke songs such as "Jumper" and "Semi-Charmed Life," this band has to be on at least one CD or playlist you own. After their last album (six years ago), "Ursa Major," fans have been yearning for a new album AND tour, and 2015 is the year for that. Touring the country this summer, the band finally released "Dopamine" on June 16, 2015. Here's an overview of the album and its contents.
1. "Everything Is Easy"
Thoughts: This song has been out for awhile, and I was very pleased to hear how similar it is to classic Third Eye Blind, but with a modern twist to it. As shown by the lyric "If you wanna see me /You know I'm easily found," the song describes how easy everything can be, but also explains that there are two sides to every "relationship" or whatever you may call it.
2. "Shipboard Cook"
Thoughts: I first heard this song in 2013 when I saw the band at a random free concert at Fremont Street, Las Vegas, so I was very pleased to see it on the album. This song has a huge build-up at the beginning (kind of slower), and then it picks up just like old Third Eye Blind. It kind of reminds me of "Motorcycle Driveway," which is a huge plus.
3. "All the Souls"
Thoughts:The beat of this song is SO different for Third Eye Blind in my opinion - but it's so catchy. Jenkins has a higher-pitched voice for most of the song, and it's awesome. A shorter, seemingly simpler song - but still a good one.
4. "Dopamine"
Thoughts:The album song. The lyrics aren't posted yet, but from what I can tell, the song is a huge metaphor in itself. This song is typical Stephan Jenkins; it goes from his high voice, to his regular singing voice. And of course, there's a build-up with only drums, where the word "dopamine" is repeated. This song reminds me of one that would be in "Ursa Major."
5. "Rites of Passage"
Thoughts: "Something you can't come back from" is in the chorus, which pretty much defines the phrase "rites of passage." There is a part of this song where Jenkins is basically talking, which was my favorite part. There's also a guitar solo, which I feel doesn't happen in enough 3eb songs (followed by a whistling solo and some background words, which was cool).
6. "Back to Zero"
Thoughts: Loved the guitar at the beginning of this song. The end of the song, Jenkins sings "one more day... of missing you," and it all kind of ties in to how the song repeatedly says "back to zero." This song is a simple, upbeat 3eb song, but had more emotion than the others.
7. "Something in You"
Thoughts: "Cause there's something in you, I believe in." This song is slower than the ones before it on this album. It reminds me of "I Want You," which is one of my personal Third Eye Blind favorites. Except, it speeds up eventually, as most of the songs on this album seem to. The end brings good 3eb style, of Jenkins singing fading in with the music. Fun fact: the whole band came together to write this song.
8. "Get Me Out of Here"
Thoughts: I'm pretty sure this song began with a piano, and continued with it, which is awesome. This is new. At some point, the instruments quit (I thought the song was over) and Jenkins sings, "...the show is a smashing great success," and he responds (to himself) speaking: "Thank you darling," which is my personal favorite part of the song, and then the song resumes.
9. "Blade"
Thoughts: The beginning automatically reminded me of "God of Wine." It's actually pretty violent, too, but similar to most songs, most likely a metaphor. "She's the dark clouds /swirling in my skies," is probably my favorite lyric. Definitely a more somber mood from the band, but a great song.
10. "All These Things"
Thoughts: Jenkins sang this song on their Snapchat story one time, and it was so good that I actually recognized the chorus listening to this song "let it make you, make you strong." This song's beat randomly sounds like "Non-Dairy Creamer" at some points. Super, super catchy song. I think it'll be a popular one.
11. "Exiles"
Thoughts:Ironically in this song, it has the words "something in you," and I automatically reverted back to the seventh song of this album. This song is slower, too, just as "Blade" is. At 2:54, it picks up, and then goes back to the beat of the song, but I love that the band chose to do that; it changes it up a bit.
12. "Say It"
Thoughts:My first reaction to this song was, "How's It Going To Be?" which is a total classic. But then, the song speeds up a bit, with more guitar. I like how in some parts of the song, Jenkins sings a lot without seeming to even take any breaths. And the theme of the song seems to be about speaking your mind. The song includes a spoken word by (according to Jenkins on Twitter) K.Flay, which was super unique. This is a long one, but one of my favorites on the album. Side note, the last 50 seconds provides something catchy. You can hear for yourself!
I thoroughly enjoyed this album. Maybe because I've been waiting for it for six years, or maybe it's just that good. Props to the band for creating a great selection of songs. Now, it's time to see it live (they're probably on tour in your town this summer, btw).