Review: "Us" - Carolyn Dodd
- Tessa Maddaloni
- Aug 6
- 2 min read
In her new single “Us”, Carolyn Dodd explains how she has been able to move on from her past heartbreak. She uses multiple tactics, imagining her ex lover and all of their negative qualities, as well as reminding herself that there is no way they are not constantly talking and thinking about her. For Dodd, hindsight is 2020, and this song is both a healing journey for her and a way to poke fun at her old relationship, hoping that they are struggling with this loss. Her voice has a tonality similar to Maggie Rogers, strong while still delicate and a perfectly mixed vibrato. Dodd plays with riffs and minor chords to emphasize lines, and the chorus has a punching quality as if she is raising up her fist to wherever her old love lies.
Dodd sets the scene in the very first verse, directing her lyrics right to her old partner. She gives herself the power, stating that she has grown taller and left their pictures behind, allowing her to move forward and not look back. Even if she has been moving forward, she hopes that they are still stuck in the past and miss her absence (like any breakup would). In the chorus, she sings, “Can't open up about it / your new friends hate my guts / But I know you think about it / I know you think of us”. Each line ends on a vocal punch to the gut, with Dodd demanding she stay in the forefront of their mind. In the bridge, she drives home the idea that she has won. Each line is a new lie they are telling, that they’re happier now, that Dodd is crazy, but they know this is not the truth. With one final repeat of the chorus, the track ends in a triumph.
Originally from Louisville, Kentucky, Carolyn Dodd and her family picked up and moved to Los Angeles so she could pursue her acting career. Along the way, however, she fell in love with music as well, leaving the show “Get Shorty” with Chris O’Dowd and Ray Romano in 2020 to pursue her music career. Since the age of seven years old, Dodd has been a singer-songwriter, wanting to tell her story and sing about love and loss, and how hard it is to make connections in society today. Make sure to follow the social medias below to stay turned for more music from Carolyn Dodd.
Written By Tessa Maddaloni
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