On May 4, Belly return with DOVE, their first full length album release in 23 years. The album was recorded and produced and recorded by band member Tom Gorman alongside longtime friend of the group Paul Q. Kolderie (Hole, Throwing Muses, Radiohead). Today, the band shared "Shiny One," the first single to be released from the forthcoming album.
"I have a lot of affection for 'Shiny One,'" says Tanya Donelly. "It was the first completely collaborative song we've ever done - Gail wrote the riff and the chorus, Tom and I wrote the verse and bridge, Chris's parts shaped the direction and vibe. When I hear it, I hear all four of us equally."
Belly, who formed in 1991, is Tanya Donelly (guitar, vocals), Tom Gorman (guitar), Chris Gorman (drums), and Gail Greenwood (bass). The band released their gold-certified critically-acclaimed debut album Star in 1993, which spawned the alternative radio and MTV staple "Feed The Tree" and led to Grammy nominations for Best Alternative Music Album and Best New Artist. In 1995, Belly released their sophomore album King and toured extensively behind the album before dissolving in 1996. Over the next two decades, the members stayed close while pursuing their own creative paths before the idea of a Belly reunion gained serious traction just a few years ago.
In 1995, Belly released their sophomore album King and toured extensively behind the album before dissolving in 1996. Over the next two decades, the members stayed close while pursuing their own creative paths before the idea of a Belly reunion gained serious traction just a few years ago.
"We had just gotten to the point where we were just missing each other, and missing the music," says Donelly. "The music I've been doing in the past several years has been very collaborative, which made me kind of homesick for Belly; I missed that sense of having a band."
The songs that comprise DOVE were spun out of a new songwriting system that was necessitated by the four members' far-flung hometowns. "It required a lot of trust," says Donelly, "because we were sending raw snippets to each other-anything from 30-second pieces to full songs. Tom and Gail and I would send demos back and forth, and then Chris would add drums to whatever snippets he'd heard, and Tom would sew everything together. It would sometimes be a very circuitous route to a song, but it was really fun."
"All three of the songwriters were locked in and working in a way that complemented the others' strengths," says Chris Gorman. "Gail's writing was in top form. Tanya is able to make anybody's song her own-she's got that gift. And Tom has really honed his arrangement and production style."
Belly will launch their first major tour since 1995 later this year. "We're all looking forward to presenting these songs in a live setting, and having the opportunity to play together again," says Chris Gorman. "We should be in for a really exciting year."