Domino is the seventh studio album by American power pop act Diners, released through Bar/None Records on August 18, 2023.

Domino
A pink-tinted photo of Diners with a checkerboard frame
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 18, 2023 (2023-08-18)
StudioTrash Treasury, Portland, Oregon, United States
GenrePower pop[1]
Length24:54
LabelBar/None
ProducerMo Troper
Diners chronology
Four Wheels and the Truth
(2022)
Domino
(2023)

"That's such delicate territory, somewhere between a thematically disconnected 'collection of songs' and a three-hour concept album by The Decemberists about Alger Hiss, or whatever. Domino is one of those rare pop records that actually achieves this, where every song is its own self-contained thing that is also in service to the album."

—Producer Mo Troper on balancing contradictory musical instincts for Domino[2]

Reception

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Editors at AllMusic rated this album 4 out of 5 stars, with critic Marcy Donelson writing this album displays a "knack for endearing melodies, Beatlesque complex harmonies..., lo-fi charm, and an affable bittersweetness".[3] Writing for Paste, Matt Mitchell favorably reviewed single "The Power", comparing it to Big Star and Raspberries.[4] The same publication chose it as the 33rd best song of the year in a mid-2023 list, with Mitchell calling it "a glorious, sun-soaked slice of power pop that lives up to its title".[5] Finally, when the album was released, the publication devoted a feature to reviewing it and interviewing Diners' Blue Broderick and Mitchell again wrote the piece, calling Domino "an entire universe", "bubblegum mastery glossed with retro incantations that fit nicely in a modern, un-retro world", "a wondrous excursion into the limitlessness of epic hooks and saccharine storytelling", and "all killer, no filler for real".[2] Brad Shoup of Pitchfork rated this release 7.3 out of 10, calling it "the most immediate rock Diners has ever attempted".[1]

Paste included this among the 30 best rock albums of 2023.[6]

Track listing

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All songs written by Blue Broderick.

  1. "Working On My Dreams – 2:35
  2. "Domino – 2:32
  3. "So What – 2:30
  4. "Someday I'll Go Surfing – 2:31
  5. "The Power – 2:32
  6. "Painted Pictures – 2:57
  7. "I Don't Think About You the Way I Used To – 2:40
  8. "From My Pillow – 2:31
  9. "Your Eyes Look Like Christmas – 1:43
  10. "Wisdom – 2:18

Personnel

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  • Blue Broderick – lead vocals, guitar, bass guitar, piano, keyboard, percussion, vocal harmonies
  • Nicolette Dolan – artwork
  • Brenden Ramirez – guitar, vocal harmonies
  • Jack Shirley – mixing and mastering at Atomic Garden, Oakland, California, United States
  • Mo Troper – drums, bass guitar, guitar, percussion, vocal harmonies, recording, production

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Shoup, Brad (August 25, 2023). "Diners: Domino Album Review". Albums. Pitchfork. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Mitchell, Matt (August 18, 2023). "The Legend of Diners and Their Power Pop Masterpiece". Music > Features > Diners. Paste. ISSN 1540-3106. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  3. ^ Donelson, Marcy (n.d.). "Diners – DOMINO". AllMusic. RhythmOne. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  4. ^ Mitchell, Matt (May 30, 2023). "Diners Announce New Album DOMINO". Music > News > Diners. Paste. ISSN 1540-3106. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  5. ^ Mitchell, Matt (June 16, 2023). "The 50 Best Songs of 2023 (So Far)". Music > Lists > Best Songs. Paste. ISSN 1540-3106. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  6. ^ "The 30 Best Rock Albums of 2023". Music > Lists > Best Albums. Paste. December 10, 2023. ISSN 1540-3106. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
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