dodie - 'I'M FINE!'
After a three-year pause in solo releases, dodie returns with ‘I’M FINE!’, and it’s everything her fans could have hoped for, and more.
‘I’M FINE!’ is witty, raw and emotionally intricate; the track marks a powerful reintroduction to a voice that never truly left us, only matured and sharpened in its absence.
Released with her new label Decca Records, ‘I’M FINE!’ signals not only dodie’s musical return but a reinvigorated creative chapter. Recorded between her home studio and longtime collaborator Joe Rubel’s London space, the single arrives with a video co-directed by dodie and frequent visual partner Sammy Paul, an arresting accompaniment that captures the emotional whiplash behind the track’s title.
From the opening bars, ‘I’M FINE!’ pulses with a nervous energy: light, flickering synths orbit around dodie’s unmistakable vocals, which begin with a bright, almost ironic confidence. But as the track unfolds, it cleverly undercuts itself. Layers of instrumentation creep in, fluttering strings, skittish drums, and ghostly harmonies, building toward a cathartic, almost chaotic crescendo that perfectly embodies the emotional duality she describes: panic intertwined with fleeting relief.
The track’s title may read as a simple declaration, but dodie herself describes it as “an unconvincing exclaim. Sarcastic and hollow.” Indeed, this is not an anthem of assured recovery, but a delicate portrayal of mental battle, the moment when you say “I’m fine” while every fiber of your being screams otherwise. It’s the emotional tension, the teetering between holding it together and falling apart, that dodie captures so precisely and poetically here.
What makes ‘I’M FINE!’ so compelling is how it continues dodie’s tradition of deeply personal songwriting, but with a refined sonic palette. The years since her 2021 debut album Build A Problem have clearly been formative. While she took a detour with the vibrant, theatrical pop of FIZZ (the beloved supergroup she formed with Orla Gartland, Greta Isaac, and Martin Luke Brown), ‘I’M FINE!’ sees dodie returning to her roots, intimate storytelling and textural, organic production, but with a sense of maturity and boldness that feels freshly honed.
dodie is as incisive as ever. Her phrasing cuts with emotional precision, sometimes hesitant, sometimes breathless, always truthful. She has a unique ability to voice the feelings many shy away from, and here, she turns the inner monologue of anxiety into something universal. There’s a cinematic quality to the song’s structure; it ebbs and flows, hesitates, explodes, then retreats.
The video mirrors this journey perfectly. Shot with a disarmingly casual eye, it follows dodie through a series of surreal and domestic spaces, drifting between comfort and disarray, stillness and spiraling movement. Her performance, understated but emotionally charged, draws the viewer into the unspoken turmoil behind a smile. It’s another example of how dodie blurs the lines between artist and storyteller, music and film, vulnerability and performance.
This single marks a significant milestone for dodie. It’s her first release on Decca, a label with a storied history, and it arrives after a rich period of collaboration, experimentation, and personal growth. Her recent contributions to Life is Strange: Double Exposure and Chet Baker Re:imagined showed her versatility and ability to move effortlessly between genres, while still sounding unmistakably herself.
But ‘I’M FINE!’ is a reminder of why dodie’s voice matters. In a world where emotional honesty is often buried beneath polish and pretence, dodie offers something refreshingly different: a window into the messy, beautiful truth of being human. This track doesn’t pretend everything’s okay. It acknowledges the storm, and, in doing so, becomes a lifeline for anyone who’s ever said “I’m fine” and meant anything but.
Welcome back, dodie. We’ve missed you.
Words by Danielle Holian
