Dopamine (Børns album)

Dopamine is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Børns, released on October 16, 2015 by Interscope Records.[1]

Dopamine
Studio album by Børns
Released	October 16, 2015 (2015-10-16)
Recorded	2013–15
Genre	Indie pop alternative rock synth-pop psychedelic pop
Length	40:25
Label	Geffen Interscope
Producer	Tommy English John Hill Jack Kennedy Herkel
Børns chronology
Candy (2014) Dopamine (2015) Blue Madonna (2018)
Singles from Dopamine
"10,000 Emerald Pools" Released: October 7, 2014 "Electric Love" Released: May 6, 2015 "The Emotion" Released: August 19, 2015 "Fool" Released: September 17, 2015 "American Money" Released: September 14, 2016

Background

On August 19, 2015, Børns announced the album on Zane Lowe's Beats 1 Radio show. He also released the first official single from the album titled "The Emotion". He confirmed in an interview with SPIN Magazine in July that he was once again working with producer Tommy English (who produced the Candy EP). SPIN also confirmed that "he’s taking his melodies seriously though, calling on heavyweight producers like Emile Haynie (Lana Del Rey's Born to Die) and Jeff Bhasker (Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy) for help.[2]

He has stated during production he and Tommy English used "a lot of swoopy Beach Boys-esque harmonies" and that "Some of the songs were influenced by some old '60s and '70s Playboys, because those are the best ones in my opinion". He later claimed he wouldn't mask how he really felt stating "It's hard to fake that, - When you listen to music, you can tell if it's a real love song or not. I’m hoping that honesty will translate." A theme in the album is the feelings associated with love.

The lead single from the album is a track entitled "The Emotion" which the singer posted on his Vevo and was later released on iTunes and Apple Music. The album is preceded by his late-2014 debut EP Candy, which included the songs "Electric Love", "10,000 Emerald Pools" and "Past Lives".

At South by Southwest 2015, Børns played a set for Spotify at the Spotify House. He played "Broke" (originally titled "So I Broke"), "American Money" and a new track titled "Let You Down".[3]

A Target edition of the album has also been released, containing two additional tracks, called "Rolling in the Roses" and "A Song for the Stoned Girl in My Bed."[4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
ABC News	(positive)[5]
AllMusic	[6]
Alternative Addiction	[7]
Glide Magazine	[8]
Renowned for Sound	[9]
The Guardian	[10]
The Michigan Daily	A[11]
The Paper	[12]
The Stylegazer	[13]

Dopamine's release was met with acclaim from music critics. Neil Yeung from AllMusic gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, stating that everything on the album is coated thick with honey, and praised the album production.[6] In a very optimistic review, Tina Roumeliotis from The Daily Listening named the musician "the male Zella Day", and concluded that "Dopamine is definitely an album worth picking up this fall".[14] Connor Smith from The Paper also gave the album a rating of 4 out of 5 stars and said that "Børns is drastically better than Lana Del Rey".[12] On Album of the Year, the album holds a critic score of 70 out of 100, based on 4 reviews, and a user score of 77, based on 124 ratings.[15]

Track listing

Dopamine – Standard edition[16]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"10,000 Emerald Pools"	Garrett Borns Taylor Joal Jack Kennedy Herkel	Herkel	2:55
2.	"Dug My Heart"	Borns Tommy English Josh Moran	English	3:10
3.	"Electric Love"	Borns English Nicholas Long Josh Moran	English	3:38
4.	"American Money"	Borns English Irena Lysiuk Genevieve Bufalino Aimee Cavanagh	English	4:21
5.	"The Emotion"	Borns English	English	3:45
6.	"Holy Ghost"	Borns English Long	English	4:17
7.	"Past Lives"	Borns English	English	4:34
8.	"Clouds"	Borns	English	3:10
9.	"Dopamine"	Borns John Hill Titanic Sinclair English Phredley Brown	English Hill	3:44
10.	"Overnight Sensation"	Borns English Sinclair	English	3:18
11.	"Fool"	Borns English Ammar Malik	English	3:38
Total length:				40:25

Target Edition Bonus Tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
12.	"Rolling in the Roses"	Borns	3:46
13.	"A Song for the Stoned Girl in My Bed"	Borns	2:13

Charts

Chart (2015)	Peak position
Canadian Albums Chart[17]	56
US Billboard 200[18]	24
US Billboard Alternative Albums[19]	2
US Billboard Top Rock Albums[20]	2

References

1. "Dopamine on iTunes". iTunes. Retrieved 2015-08-21.
2. "Børns Puts Finishing Touches on Fantastical Debut Album". SPIN. Retrieved 2015-10-17.
3. "Børns (SXSW 2015) HD". YouTube. 2015-03-18. Retrieved 2015-10-17.
4. "Borns - Dopamine - Target Exclusive". Target. Retrieved 2015-10-17.
5. ABC News. "Entertainment News, Celebrity and Pop Culture - ABC News". ABC News.
6. Neil Z. Yeung. "Dopamine". AllMusic.
7. "Album Review of Dopamine by Børns - Alternative Addiction - New Music First - Music News".
8. "Børns - 'Dopamine' (ALBUM REVIEW) - Glide Magazine". Glide Magazine.
9. "Renowned for Sound - Album Review: Børns – Dopamine". Renowned for Sound. 2 November 2015.
10. Kate Hutchinson. "Børns: Dopamine review – emphatic retro-futurism turns tepid". the Guardian.
11. "Børns deliver on cohesive, original 'Dopamine'". The Michigan Daily.
12. "BORNS - Dopamine ALBUM REVIEW". the paper. Archived from the original on 2015-11-20. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
13. "Review: 'Dopamine' by Børns - The Stylegazer". The Stylegazer.
14. "[Album Review] Børns – 'Dopamine'". The Daily Listening.
15. "Børns - Dopamine". Album of the Year.
16. "iTunes - Music - Dopamine by Børns". iTunes.
17. "Canadian Albums: Top Albums Chart - Billboard: Nov 07, 2015 - Billboard Chart Archive". Billboard. 7 November 2015.
18. "BORNS - Chart history (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
19. "Alternative Music: Top Alternative Albums Chart - Billboard: Nov 14, 2015 - Billboard Chart Archive". Billboard. 14 November 2015.
20. "Rock Albums - Billboard: Nov 14, 2015 - Billboard Chart Archive". Billboard. 14 November 2015.