Ronan O'Brien2025 was another stellar year of new releases. While new releases can often be overlooked in December, I stumbled upon a gem with Dove Ellis’ debut album, Blizzard.
Dove Ellis
Hailing from Galway, Dove Ellis moved to Manchester and began slowly building a fanbase. The DIY approach allowed Ellis to seemingly appear from nowhere, soon finding himself performing sold-out shows from Manchester to London to a growing cult following. Naturally, this garnered welcome attention from those in the industry.
The big breakthrough came as a result of Geese. The New York band’s Getting Killed has been lauded as one of the albums of 2025, and Dove Ellis was chosen as the support act for much of the subsequent tour. While support acts can often be disregarded as a glorified soundcheck, many fans were mesmerised by the talented young artist.
Ellis appears to be a character who prefers to stray from the limelight. With little to no promotion or accompanying biography, his debut album was never destined to break records (pardon the pun). Blizzard was released in December, right when music fans turn to Mariah Carey and Michael Bublé. But those, like myself, who came across this release were impressed. Although the release was silent, the artistic direction makes it even more of a treat. Quietly confident and introspective, the album is nothing short of wonderful.
Wings and a Word
The album opens solemnly, with an acoustic guitar accompanying Ellis’ operatic vocals on “Little Left Hope“. It serenades the soul in a way not fully understood. There are lovely little snippets of strings, keys and winds and the vocals are sublime. Ellis’ vocals operate in that mid-to-low register, before soaring into angelic falsettos. An argument can be made to compare his voice to that of Cameron Winter‘s, which explains the Geese connection. The lyrics are cryptic, but soulful nonetheless in their delivery. The closing lines are certainly some to mull over; “Now is the fake / The real is the word”. Poetically beautiful in every sense, the opener sets the tone fantastically for the album.
Transitioning into “Pale Song“, the abrasive opening instrumentals are quickly replaced by a pretty guitar tone and warm, splashy drums. While melodically more similar to a traditional indie rock song, the poetic lyrics provide much more depth to the track. The lyrics “The past is like a sign / A sign that never talks” sees Ellis criticise looking back for answers. There are elements of cello throughout the track in pockets, and it provides such a sweet, satisfactory layer to the already perfect melody.
“Love Is“ opens with Ellis weepingly painting the picture of suicide, before launching into an upbeat sing-along type song. Echoing the refrain, “Love is not the antidote to all your problems”, he meticulously sways through the melody with such delight. From macabre in the intro, to a passionate love-inspired anthem, it’s certainly a personal highlight on the record. The instrumentals rise, giving power to the track. It sounds big, and the skill in which Ellis lists with true poetry what does and does not constitute love is absolutely spectacular.
Oh, Annie
The intensity falls off a cliff as Ellis pours his soul into the emotional “When You Tie Your Hair Up“. The instrumentals are mostly soft and sparse, with more beautiful snippets of strings throughout. While the song meanings across the album are open to interpretation, this one is most certainly a break-up song. The rising and falling of the instrumentals signify one’s emotional rollercoaster journey through this rocky period. Ellis’ pining for his lover to come back into his life is delivered with pure raw emotion, something that is only felt deeply in one’s soul.
“Jaundice“ is a far more upbeat instrumental, almost resembling a traditional Irish jig. Comparisons can be made to Black Country, New Road in this track, but it’s far cleaner around the edges. Ellis’ voice accompanies the hectic instrumental harmoniously with more cryptic lyricism. Delving into the meaning may spiral into madness, but the iterations of “fire white” and “they don’t know you” may be simply a celebration of anonymity.
The bouncy, straightened piano and drums of “Heaven Has No Wings“ evoke a strange sense of hope. Littered with beautiful orchestral fragments throughout, the instrumentals take a journey of their own. Once again, however, Ellis’ delivery and enigmatic lyricism are on their own level. The narration contains some impactful imagery, with lines like “blast me down with fire and rain” and “No matter what you grow, keep my hand, watch it sow”.
Another display of emotion exists in “It Is A Blizzard“. To a bass-heavy, soft accompaniment, Ellis serenades the listener with a despairing festive-themed song. The vocal delivery, once again, is mesmerising. Echoing a tearful goodbye, Ellis tells the listener “I’ll be gone by Christmas”. This song in particular evokes such strong emotion inside; I think the tears come naturally with it.
You Dreamed It
The mood once again turns melancholic in “Feathers, Cash“. The guitar strings accompany Ellis’ tearful voice, with incredible similarities to Jeff Buckley. The emotions ascend with his sweeping falsettos, and lyrically paint a picture of grief. Especially evident in the lines “Present me my dower / And I’ll still lift up my feather / That’s how far l’ll go”, the sorrow rings true. Much noted, tiny elements intelligently add to the instrumental layers, notably the idophonic percussion and hand claps.
“To The Sandals“ interestingly is the only track that came with an artist annotation. Described by Ellis as “reflections on a failing shotgun marriage in Cancún”, the lead single contains some powerful imagery throughout. The song provides some clarity to the album theme; the tracks simply become character studies, analysing the very essence of people. With further elements of flutes and clinking percussion, the layers run deep. However, the recurring guitar riff scratches an itch I didn’t realise I had in truly wonderful fashion. Ellis’ vocals remain sorrowful throughout, illustrating the unhappy union with absolute elegance.
Closing the album with another pretty ballad, “Away You Stride“ wraps the project up with quiet poignancy. The vast instrumentals heard throughout have been reduced to a lone acoustic guitar, which allows Ellis’ voice to truly shine. Yearning with pure emotion, he wails “I open my cards, just hoping they’re fine / I cut off my heart, I’m hoping to spend it on you”, before ending with a piercing falsetto. It’s a beautiful ending to an even more beautiful album.
Final Thoughts
Many albums released in the twilight weeks of the year are easily missed, and I am eternally grateful for whatever algorithm led me to listen to this album. From the offset, I was absolutely mesmerised by Dove Ellis’ vocals. The song structures, instrumentals and poetic songwriting not only kept me interested, but actually made me excited to listen to the next track. Even going back to listen again while writing this has solidified it as one of my favourite releases of 2025. Perhaps even this decade.
While the artist’s avoidance of publicity has made this review more difficult to write than others, I respect him a whole lot more for it. There’s an air of quiet confidence about Dove Ellis, like he wants his music to do the talking for him. This also allows the listener to interpret his art in their own sphere. While it may be difficult to shy from the comparisons to Cameron Winter and Jeff Buckley, Ellis has taken his music in his own direction, his way.
This album certainly exposed the world to an exciting, talented artist and I certainly hope this is just the beginning. Although Blizzard gave us an insight into Dove Ellis, the desire to maintain that distance from his true self can be felt. That being said, Dove Ellis has poured every conceivable emotion into this record with meticulous fervour. This album has made me feel more than years of therapy have ever done. Truly outstanding.
