Dove Ellis, Blizzard

Dove Ellis currently lives with an air of mystery surrounding him. Prior to September 2025, the 22-year-old Irish singer-songwriter had no releases on major streaming platforms. In fact, the only places you could go to stream his music were Bandcamp, for one demo-filled EP, and Youtube, for any fan-posted videos from small shows in the UK and Ireland. Little is known about him, and that’s how he wants it to be. Ellis has not put up a bio anywhere or ever been interviewed, so it is safe to say he wants his music and performances to speak for themselves. He opened for Geese on their fall US tour a few months ago, which allowed for a new audience to encounter his magic. With the release of his debut record Blizzard at the tail end of 2025, Dove Ellis shares a hearty amalgamation of inviting yet chilling tracks that are timeless and penetrating. In just a short time, he has garnered a fanbase that builds him up and truly believes in his future eminence in music.

The record opens with “Little Left Hope”, a searching song with a soft, reserved start that grows in vocal power and conviction. It has a waltz-like beat that calls for a dance, but contains lyrics like “Maybe we’ll start a band / With the strangler you have to like / ‘Cause he knows how to play the drums,” ultimately portraying a sense of defeat, suggested by the song’s title. 

The next two tracks “Pale Song” and “Love Is” were the final two singles released for the album, and beyond accompanying each other nicely, they set the stage for the remaining, unheard songs. “Pale Song” starts out with beautiful harmonic guitars layered over one another to create depth, which is pushed further when the bass comes in to balance out Ellis’ high-ringing notes. The lyrics touch on the idea that the present is the only real truth, and that looking for answers in the past may leave you unfulfilled. We are then catapulted into “Love Is”. It masquerades itself as a piano ballad at the start then explodes into a crashing confession of what Ellis dictates love is. “(Love is) A whispered smile and it’s got nothing to lose,” being just one of many lines that place a boundary around the feeling we so often try to exemplify.

Track four, “When You Tie Your Hair Up”, is where it seems apt to mention the comparisons drawn between Ellis and emotional, singer-songwriter greats like Jeff Buckley, Rufus Wainwright, Thom Yorke, etc. While it is clear he is influenced by these artists, Ellis finds his own carefully chosen words and vocal style to tell of his experiences passionately. This song in particular bleeds sincerity and showcases Ellis’ fervor and ability to both draw back and erupt in his vocal range.

“Jaundice” is a bouncy Irish jig that is airy and feels like merriment but tells a deeper story of the disparate circumstances we can be born into. This is followed by “Heaven Has No Wings”, which begins with a Carole King Tapestry-like piano intro and takes listeners on a journey with warm guitar riffs and Ellis’ piercing falsetto. Accordion and clarinet are featured on these tracks, respectively, and add curious elements to their already alluring sound.

The next track “It Is A Blizzard” is a lament about a man’s imminent death around the holidays. The man seems to either warn, or posthumously urge, his wife to drink in his honor and comfort their son because he’ll “be gone by Christmas”. This song comes from an obscure yet touching point of view, and continues to set the “come in from the cold” tone that seeps out of Blizzard. “Cash, Feathers” follows with a sweet and clear admission of love, through lines like “I miss your red pens / Correcting my sins.” The later half of the song sees Ellis’ vocals stacked and harmonized, alongside plucky instruments until all others join in and crescendo to a complete opening at the very end.

“To The Sandals” was the first single from this project, and Ellis’ debut single on major platforms. Despite that, this track immediately struck me as wholly confident and seasoned. It is quite unbelievable that this is the musician’s first large-scale release, and that certainly adds to the intrigue in him. The song is filled with chords that tug at the heartstrings and lyrics that, though are meant to tell a story of a shotgun marriage, allow listeners to connect with them in their own personal way. The screeching saxophone alongside Ellis’ head voice standout, and altogether, make the single enticing and addicting.

The final track “Away You Stride” is a wistful goodbye from Ellis with just his voice and an acoustic guitar. This song holds some of the album’s most romantic lines and poignant vocal moments. “I stab at lights / I’m ducking into crowds / I saw you in the absence of light.” Ellis lays all his emotions out for the audience, without any grand instruments to hide behind. It plays as soul-bearing and makes Ellis’ sound easy to fall in love with, prompting a swift replay of the entire record.

Blizzard is homey, emotional, and percussive, and seems to be enveloped in a cold, fresh air with all its wintry elements. This album begs to be played through your best headphones or speakers given its overall stunning mix. A lot of that has to do with Dove Ellis’ earnest and grandiose vocal ability and lyricism, but also with the project’s selective reserve and its multi-wind instrumentation.

We know that the pressure placed on budding artists by comparing them to their influences has proven to be suffocating, but Dove Ellis seems graced to handle it. His songwriting is equally as mysterious and withholding as it is tender and expressive, much like himself when performing. He has chosen to keep his anonymity, forcing fans to dissect the art rather than the artist. We need not impose high expectations on a musician like Dove Ellis, but rather encourage his natural talent, that already rivals some greats, to continue to grow.