Don’t Blink
Jim D’Angelo has been quietly building a deeply personal and ever-evolving body of work under the name Don’t Blink since 2017. With Church, his latest and perhaps most cohesive effort to date, he leans into themes both spiritual and political, blurring the line between confession and protest. The title isn’t just metaphor—D’Angelo has said that writing a song is akin to going to church, and on Church, that sense of ritual and revelation runs deep.
Opener “Over and Over” sets the tone with a sense of raw intimacy. It’s a love song, but not in the traditional sense—more like a whispered postscript from someone still picking up the pieces. The arrangement is lush and unpredictable, shifting between moments of quiet vulnerability and melodic swell. It’s one of the most emotionally immediate tracks on the album, and one that showcases D’Angelo’s ability to be both tender and unsparing.
“The Turnaround” is a different beast entirely. Built around a restless, almost hyperactive bassline that recalls Thundercat at his most groove-obsessed, the track pulses with kinetic energy. The lyrics, too, are striking in their clarity: *"We're in the turnaround, we're going upside down…”* It’s a snapshot of societal disorientation, rendered in a style that’s as catchy as it is poignant.
The title track, “Church,” stands as the album’s strange, shifting centerpiece. There’s an off-kilter groove running through it—a kind of organized chaos that plays with tempo and tone. Jazzy guitar flourishes dart in and out, but never feel ornamental. Like much of the album, it resists easy classification, instead finding its own peculiar language.
There are no throwaways here. Church is the sound of an artist who’s not only found his voice but is learning how to stretch it. If this is your introduction to Don’t Blink, it’s worth digging into the back catalog—D’Angelo’s been preaching for a while now. You just might have missed the sermon.
https://dontblink1.bandcamp.com/album/church