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Dolly Ave is letting listeners inside the mess on her new album, Bad Brain. Whether she’s owning up to her own toxic moments and partying all night, or opening herself up to a new love, Ave is baring it all over pitch-perfect garage-rock production. 

Much of the album focuses on Ave’s mental health, whether it’s the admission that she’s “always caught up in the chasing” on title track “BAD BRAIN,” or the heartbreaking vulnerability of “IN TROUBLE” — “I’ll get better / I swear, I’ll get better,” the singer promises her audience. 

She also doesn’t shy away from casting the blame on herself. Powered by a catchy bass line, “HOT GARBAGE” Ave declares herself “a red flag waiting to happen,” telling her partner “Take me out // I’m hot garbage in your house” — but following it up with a slyly flirty, “Admit it // you like it // don’t hide it.”

Meanwhile, the energetic “PARTY NEVER ENDS” tracks a night out in L.A. with Ave and her friends. While the partying looks fun at first, the artist eventually admits the real reason she doesn't want the night to end: “I could leave, but I refuse // if I did, would someone know?”

Ave’s more quietly emotional moments also resonate. Standout track “OH RUBY,” a doo-wop throwback with some rock edge, is an old school ode to the girl you can’t forget, while “DON’T WANNA TURN BACK” sees Ave recall a lost summer love. 

While most of Bad Brain is devoted to life’s messiness, Ave closes the album with a little lightness — “ALL MINE,” telling her partner “Every song I sing is about you,” before boldly stating, “I hope you don’t mind // I want you, all mine.”

Ave’s album is an impressive collection of early-00s garage rock, taking listeners for a ride through her self-professed “bad brain” — and providing some solidarity for anyone who feels the same. 

Listen to Bad Brain below: