Not much is known about the elusive Dove Ellis, but we do have three concrete facts. One: he’s an Irish singer-songwriter. Two: new-gen rockstars Geese are confirmed fans, with the band inviting him as their sole support act for their North American tour. Three: anyone who listens to Dove Ellis can attest he has one hell of a voice. And with the release of his debut album ‘Blizzard’, Dove Ellis delivers on the hype that’s followed on his steady gigging since 2022.
Compared to his larger-than-life live performances, ‘Blizzard’ is eerily intimate. It’s bedroom pop, if the bedroom was a French catacomb with the tunnels blocked up. You feel every crack in Ellis’ voice, and songs like ‘Little Left Hope’ expand his voice into a ghostly choir that’s difficult to recreate live. He’s capable of these soul-baring roars that leave you stunned, as on ‘Tie Your Hair Up’. That intimacy can likewise dampen songs like ‘Away You Stride’, which is normally where Ellis lets rip live.
Another challenge Ellis’ voice presents is the inevitable comparisons to Jeff Buckley. When you sound as similar to someone as totemic as Buckley, you’re going to need to do a lot to separate yourself from the pack. Ellis’ biggest strength in this sense is his lyricism, which ranges from the sensual and abstract to more direct poems like ‘Love Is’, where he proclaims: “Love is not mapped by quotations, and it’s not what it seems”. Though we don’t know how old Ellis is, you get the sense he’s an old soul beyond his (presumably younger) years – and that maturity elevates his lyricism above your typical Buckley tribute act.
Ellis also shows some risks in his instrumentation. ‘Jaundice’ is a jangly Irish jig, while songs like ‘Heaven Has No Wings’ incorporate shimmers of earthy reeds that place him more akin to bands like Black Country, New Road. The strange flashes of sounds bookmarking ‘To The Sandals’ point toward more experimental tendencies than the majority of ‘Blizzard’ gives him credit for.
‘Blizzard’ is mostly a collection of solid guitar songs, and it captures the insatiable energy that’s garnered Ellis his critical acclaim so early in his career. Though he could push his sound to be a bit more personal, he’s already armed with a generational voice, an explorative mindset and a singular writing style. Something exciting is bound to emerge from the storm.
