Doves joined 6 Music to look back at the 00s with a curated playlist of their favourite music of the era. Above are the tracks they picked. You can listen to the playlist at BBC Sounds here. Above are the tracks they choose.

Andy & Jez will discuss all-things Doves with Chris Hawkings in Leeds, Manchester & Liverpool. Note change of venue for Manchester. The event will take place at Yes instead of the Gorilla. Dates & ticket links:

Sunday, January 26th Leeds, Wardrobe Tickets

Wednesday, January 29th Manchester, YES Tickets

Friday, January 31st Liverpool, Rough Trade Tickets

The press reviews are now starting to drop for Constellations For The Lonely. Here are some of my thoughts on the sixth Doves album. There is course, plenty of spoilers within, so I’ve put the review on its own page for those of you who don’t want to read any of it….

DOVES AT THEIR SOULFUL, WISTFUL BEST

EMI North has announced a new Doves store exclusive CD version of Constellations For The Lonely. This budget release is advertised as a 1 CD card wallet containing the album plus 3 additional bonus tracks. The regular CD that does not contain the bonus track is being advertised as a digipack. The CD wallet tracklisting:

1) Renegade
2) Cold Dreaming
3) In The Butterfly House
4) Strange Weather
5) A Drop In The Ocean
6) Last Year’s Man
7) Stupid Schemes
8) Saint Teresa
9) Orlando
10) Southern Bell
11) Cally
12) Lean Into The Wind
13) Saint Teresa (Drautwerk Version)

You can order the expanded tracklisting CD at the official Doves store.

Doves have released their latest single today, the second track to be released from the upcoming album Constellations For The Lonely. Andy says about the track:

Cold Dreaming’ is a song about forgiveness. Trying to forgive and move on. As a minimum, these days, resilience is the thing that you need more than ever, certainly as a musician. Perhaps the lyrics do touch a bit on what we’ve been through.

Jez spoke to NME about the track and added:

We were always obsessed with Northern Soul, and we wanted to write our version of a cinematic Northern Soul song. Jimi wasn’t around so Andy and I took the vocal duties on that one. We just wanted to go for a really wide panoramic, filmic sound. Lyrically, it’s all about anxiety and trying to move on from it.”

You can read the full NME piece here.

Jez also spoke to Far Out Magazine. Jez recalls how the new album first came to be:

After the tour cancellation, it was a dark period of uncertainty for everyone involved, lasting “three or four months”. Reflecting on that time, Jez says, “We just thought, ‘What the fuck are we going to do?’”. Rather than continue to revel in their misery, the Williams brothers sought solace in songwriting. Initially, it was their coping mechanism, but quickly, it became clear they were making a new Doves album, “This picture started to emerge, and we thought, there might be a way through this,” Jez recalls.

Read the brilliant full interview at Far Out Magazine.

Doves have been confirmed as the Sunday (Aug 31st) headliner for the Mosely Folk & Arts festival. The festival takes place at Mosley Park in Birmingham. Tickets are on sale now at moselyfolk.co.uk

Taken from the latest edition of the Uncut magazine. Ta to Rick Wood at Doves Forum for the scan!

‘We’ve been through the wringer’: Doves on addiction, breakdowns – and touring without singer Jimi Goodwin

Their new album Constellations for the Lonely ranks among their best work. But as they prepare to go on the road, the Williams brothers talk about their momentous decision to play without Goodwin

Read the full interview with Andy & Jez at the Guardian here.

‘Constellations’ is indeed up there with their best. A full review of the album is incoming!

I’ve been repeatedly asked, how was the warm-up tour? I don’t really do live reviews, but this tour was unique in so many ways for obvious reasons. I hadn’t planned to do this. So please bear in mind I’m writing these thoughts down a week after the shows happened.

I’ve put down my thoughts that you can read here. It’s all positive! The band absolutely left those of us who attended the shows wanting more. Roll on the UK tour next year! ✊️

Doves finished their short run of warm-up shows last night with a show at the Trades Club in Hebden Bridge. A very special show! If you want to see the setlist, click here.