Doves were always a tricky band to place precisely within the UK’s early noughties musical landscape: Britpop without the youthful swagger of Oasis or Blur, psychedelic but without the menace of Primal Scream, soulful indie without the pop sensibilities of Embrace. Despite, or perhaps because of, their slightly indefinable qualities, they amassed a loyal following, releasing four studio albums between 2000 and 2009, two of which reached number one in the UK album charts.

Newly reunited, The Universal Want is the band’s first album in eleven years and within the first bars of opening track Carousels, it’s clear they are happy to pick up right where they left off, resisting the urge to reinvent themselves for a new audience. Instead, what we have here is the sounds of a band recapturing their best days; Carousels itself is a dizzying mix of skidding drums and otherworldly melodies that right away evokes some of their very best work.

Broken Eyes is a more straightforward blast of jangly indie rock, with lead singer Jimi Goodwin reflecting that “I've been dreaming about my past / Thinking about a friend / And how we grew up too fast / Enjoying the years slip past”. It’s an ethos that pervades throughout the album; The Universal Want feels likes a record born pleasantly out of nostalgia. “I spend my days wondering what’s happened to us”, Goodwin cries tellingly on the soaring For Tomorrow.

The middle of the album packs two of the standout tracks here. Carousels Of The Mind is an intricate and psychedelic number that mixes spoken word elements with beautiful melodies and synths, while lead single Prisoners spills out from an acoustic guitar intro into a raucous and thrilling affair. Cycle Of Hurt throws some sizzling guitar riffs into the mix and reveals the deliciously rough edges of Goodwin’s voice, and the album’s title track is a haunting piano melody that stretches out with layered vocals and flourishes of electric guitar.

Whether or not The Universal Want proves to be Doves’ final offering only time will tell, but it’s a lovely record from a band who, after more than a decade out of the limelight, have recaptured the magic that made them such treasures in their heyday. Watch the official video for Prisoners here.

The Universal Want tracklist:

1. Carousels

2. I Will Not Hide

3. Broken Eyes

4. For Tomorrow

5. Cathedrals Of The Mind

6. Prisoners

7. Cycle Of Hurt

8. Mother Silverlake

9. Universal Want

10. Forest House

Author: Joe Sharratt

Joe Sharratt is a writer and journalist based in the UK covering music, literature, sport, and travel.