Weekly Women Wednesday Vol. XXXVIII - Dori Valentine

Over the past few months, I have become completely enamored by singer-songwriter, Dori Valentine. Whether I’m sound tracking the drive to work or walking off a hectic night, I’ve found myself rotating Valentine’s three singles back to back, never growing tired of her magic. Both lyrically and sonically, Dori has a velvety and nostalgic tone that she proudly self-produces, and you can tell she pours every bit of herself into her work. Masterfully layering friendly, rustic guitar with her soul-bearing voice, letting her rhetoric unfold with every line and chord. Her latest release ‘Chlorine’ has quickly claimed itself as my song of the summer, the lyrics speak to the ebb and flow of falling head over heels, doing so with grace and precision. Those overwhelming feelings that take over your every waking breath, the wax and wane that is simultaneously keeping you on your toes yet exhausting all your bones. This track has such a rich dynamic that as the tension is building you feel like you have your nose buried in an epic novel of a great love, sitting in those emotions with your favorite cassette playing, admiring the dust on the window pane. The way Dori puts these complicated feelings into words just sinks into you, faith weak yet headstrong, feeling bits of heaven when they call you Babe. Being able to be vulnerable and just to feel is a fundamentally terrifying act, it demands a balance of strong will and throwing caution to the wind and just letting go, tip-toeing off the dark end. Dori Valentine is telling her narrative from the bottom of her heart, and listening to these songs feels like reading a page out of a journal- maybe even your own. Your childhood friends and bunk beds, high school summers sitting on warm pavement, chlorine and freckles. 

Be sure to stream Dori Valentine’s latest single ‘Chlorine’, and keep up with her on Instagram and Twitter.