Nine years. That’s how long it’s been since Cale Dodds released an EP. He has, of course, released single tracks over the past nine years. Let’s face it though, I always want more music from him, so I was very excited to learn that he was not only releasing new music, but that it would be a whole EP! I was even more excited when I got a sneak peak & felt like the new stuff reminded me of his People Watching EP, which I absolutely still love – nine years later.
I love the EP title “Current Nostalgia” and asked Dodds what that means to him. He said, “Honestly, I’ve always loved the phrase and the sound of the two words together. I actually wrote a little meaning for it. ‘Current Nostalgia: The art of living in two places at once. The Polaroid sound, bridging the gap between what was and what is. The soundtrack of right now, strummed to the memories that got us here.’” Love that!!
Current Nostalgia includes five tracks: “ETITOY,” “Still Single,” “Other Side of You,” “Knowing When to Quit,” and “This Side of the Mississippi.” “ETITOY” (Every Time I Think of You) was previously released as a stand alone track, and “Still Single” was released as a single in September, so we’re just going to chat about the last three tracks. (You can check out my review of “Still Single” here.)
“Other Side of You” would lead you to think of literally being next to someone. I love how Dodds’ is so good at making you think one thing with his titles, but the meaning is actually quite different when you hear his lyrics. This upbeat track is about a breakup and getting to the other side of that prior relationship.
“I mighta lost you, but hell look what I found / My nights a little freer / Whiskey little sweeter / Grass is sure greener / On the other side of you”
When Dodds told me about this new music, specifically “Knowing When to Quit,” I immediately knew this one would stand out to me. Look, I’m not into astrology, but even I have to admit that there are aspects of each sign that just match up with people born in those months. I’m a May/Taurus girl, so I come by my stubbornness honestly. The fact that this song is all about being stubborn, I had no choice but to love it. In this instance, the stubbornness is about not giving up & continuing to push forward through different circumstances. I’ll never forget Dodds telling me about a specific part of the song.
“I was on the road that weekend / When the world shut down / I remember thinking / What’s my life without my sound / There were nights I thought I’d never see a night on stage again / So here’s to being stubborn and not knowing when to quit.”
I know how much that changed the trajectory of his career, and none of us knew where the world was headed during that time. The fact that he has new music out just proves how hard he works to succeed.
The final track, “This Side of the Mississippi” is my favorite. I feel like this could be on the radio immediately. It’s catchy & I just love the sound so much.
“When you’re on this side of the Mississippi, do you miss me? / When you cross that line are you right back in it? / Are you with me? / Long past broke, but girl I know, you ain’t never coming back home / When you’re on this side of the Mississippi, do you miss me?”
I don’t say this to knock the music that Dodds has released over the past few years, as it’s all been good, but this EP just sounds like HIM in more ways than some of the other releases have. Cale Dodds is back, and I’m here for it!
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