The Dodos – “Center of”

The Dodos – “Center of”

The Dodos’ new “midlife crisis record” Certainty Waves comes out this Friday on Polyvinyl. We’ve already heard “Forum” and “SW3,” both of which generated excellent music videos. Today, they’re sharing one last single before the forthcoming release.

On “Center of,” the Dodos are introspective. The track is tangled with the disappointment and wisdom of growing older. And the lyrics speak on this change: “Go on forget what it was you were yesterday/ Find yourself not where you wanted but where you belong/ Closing doors always seemed easier than trying to hang on.”

As the song ends, strings snake and spark with excitement, and singer Meric Long repeats the title’s ultimate conviction: “You’re not the center of the universe.” Via email, Long adds:

“Center of” was sort of a last minute addition to the album, since it wasn’t part of the initial recording sessions. It was a Frankenstein of old parts that were sitting around that came together at the 11th hour. The album needed a ballad/break from the louder stuff but I still wanted it to sound like it was in the same family, so in noodling around I discovered that guitar tone that comes in on the second half of the song that sounds like a very distorted synth. It ended up being a bit of gold that subsequently got put on every other song.

Listen to “Center of” below.

Certainty Waves is out 10/12 via Polyvinyl. Pre-order it here.

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