Doves have shared their buoyant new single ‘Saint Theresa’ and have announced a new release date for ‘Constellations Of The Lonely‘.
Opening with an airy guitar section as Jimi Goodwin sings “Her fingers are in Avila / Her jawbone is in Rome / Saint Teresa / With your body in different places / You truly are without a home,” touching on the story of Teresa of Ávila, a 16th-century nun and reformer whose burial, pre-canonisation, was interrupted resulting in several of her body parts being removed and taken to locations in Rome, Paris, Lisbon and elsewhere.
The story of Teresa of Ávila inspired the British rockers to create the sensitively struck, enigmatic and gently upbeat track ‘Saint Teresa’. Speaking about the song in a press release, Goodwin said: “By keeping it to one side, we were able to reappraise it and make it better. Andy and Jez helped out with it and it’s great that it’s found a home.
“My Catholicism went out of the window years ago, but I love the iconography associated with the church. They put on a really good show. I identify with it all from my childhood. The story of Saint Teresa is fascinating.”
Goodwin’s bandmate, Jez Williams also added: “Sometimes songs can be like a Rubik’s Cube. You play with it but have to go back to it after a time and, only then, do you really know what to do with it. ‘Saint Teresa’ was still knocking on the door when we came to record the album, so we took it into sessions with Dan (Austin – co-producer), replacing some of it, changing a few of the lyrics and it turned out great.”
‘Saint Teresa’ is the third single to be released by Doves, following on the previously shared ‘Cold Dreaming’ and lead single ‘Renegade’. All three tracks are set to feature on the band’s forthcoming sixth studio album ‘Constellations Of The Lonely’ which is now set for release on February 28 via EMI North and is available for pre-order here.
The LP is a follow-up to their chart-topping 2020 album ‘The Universal Want’ – marking the Mancunian group’s first full-length record in 11 years, following 2009’s ‘Kingdom Of Rust’.
Previously speaking to NME about ‘Constellations For The Lonely’, Jez shared: “This is quite a dark album. We started to write it after we cancelled ‘The Universal Want’ tour, so some of the songs reflect that. We wanted ‘Renegade’ to start with this apocalyptic atmosphere. That’s what felt right for us after such a difficult time. Jimi was with us, but we were trying to make sense of all the mess – and that fed into the album.”
He continued: “We’re living in pretty fucking horrible times, so we wanted to reflect that but give a little hope. When you listen to Neil Young, it feels like he understands you. It’s music that can hold your hand in this dark world. I see this as a future soul album for outsiders. We want you to feel understood.”
Elsewhere, back in November, the band performed a trio of intimate UK shows without Goodwin, as he is continuing to work on his mental health.
“Jimi is still working on his sobriety and mental health,” Jez told NME. “When we cancelled ‘The Universal Want’ tour, people were really fucked off that they’d bought these tickets after waiting for us since 2010, just for us to cancel.
“People just want to hear the songs. We never got to play that album live. Jimi’s not ready, but he gave us his blessing, so we’re going to take the songs out live with us.”
In other news, Doves are set to kick off their 2025 UK and Ireland tour later this month which is now completely sold out.