Brother-sister indie folk-rock duo Dorsten, made up of Alex and Sophie Dorsten, introduces the music video, “I Never Cry,” their imaginative interpretation of Alice Cooper’s iconic song.
Speaking about how they chose “I Never Cry,” Sophie shares, “We were kind of thinking, ‘What would be a cool song from Alice Cooper and Dick Wagner that they wrote together?'” And I just thought we could do something interesting to it. Alex and I heard the song, and we were like, ‘This could be cool. We could mix some cool new elements into this.'”
Reflecting on Dorsten’s adaptation of “I Never Cry,” Alice Cooper says, “My version could be a broken-hearted guy sitting at a bar at 3 a.m. Sophie’s version is much more ethereal. More like an angel sitting on a cloud brushing her hair in slow motion. It’s quite haunting and beautiful.”
Dorsten arrived on the scene in 2020, releasing their debut single, “Sea Salt,” followed by “Until June,” along with a sequence of contagious singles, amassing over 300,000 streams on Spotify, as well as more than 18,000 monthly listeners.
The first of five singles set for release in 2023, “I Never Cry” will be followed by “To the River,” an Americana-influenced song. Later this year, Dorsten will drop an EP recorded during their 2022 sessions at Abbey Road Studios.
Both Alex and Sophie have won several awards including Best American Indie Act 2021 from Radio WigWam; World Songwriting Award for Best Music Production, “Until June;” Best Indie Song, “Sea Salt,” and Best Indie Song, “Until June,” for the Fall 2021 awards; and Spring 2022 Clouzine International Music awards for best AltZ song, “Butterflies.” Sophie was runner-up for the Radio WigWam Online Radio Awards for Best Female Artist 2020.
Opening on low-slung, haunting tones topped by Sophie’s poignant voice, “I Never Cry” flows into a melancholy melody accented by rumbling-lite, syncopated percussion and delicately arising strings, giving the tune heartbreaking surfaces.
At once evocative and aching with wounded passion, Sophie’s voice imbues the lyrics with lingering, sensitive nuances.
“If there’s a tear on my face / It makes me shiver to the bone / It shakes me, babe / It’s just a heartache that got caught in my eye / And you know I never cry, I never cry.
Filmed in brooding tinges of black and white, the video eventually takes on color, mirroring the moving feel of the music.
Roiling with shadows and smoldering solitude, “I Never Cry” reveals the raw tenderness and emotional desolation of loneliness.
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Dorsten Tour Dates:
Tue, May 2 – Today in Nashville, TN
Tue, May 2 – Electric Jane, Nashville, TN
Tue, May 16 – Hope and Anchor, Islington, London
Wed, May 17 – Pizza Express Live, Holborn, London
Thu, May 18 – Gerry’s Soho Club, London
Fri, May 19 – The Slaughtered Lamb, London
Sat May 20 – Parakeet, London