Alchemical: Volume 1

Alchemical: Volume 1 is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter and actress Dove Cameron released on December 1, 2023, through Disruptor and Columbia. After releasing her debut EP, Bloodshot / Waste, in 2019, Cameron originally intended to release a full album entitled Alchemical but ultimately split up the album in two halves. The album is primarily a pop and alt-pop album, with lyrical content centred around love, grief and self-reflection.

The album was preceded by the singles "Boyfriend", "Breakfast", "Lethal Woman" and "Sand". "Boyfriend" gained viral attention on TikTok, received critical acclaim and reached top-twenty on the Billboard Hot 100. Upon release, the album also received generally positive reviews with praise to the songwriting and Cameron's vocals.

Background and release
In 2019, Cameron released her first EP titled Bloodshot / Waste. After various single releases, Cameron announced in 2022 that she had begun work on a second EP and released the single "Boyfriend" which went viral on TikTok and reached top-ten in various countries. After its release, Cameron reset her public music catalog, removing her first EP and other songs including "LazyBaby" from all streaming services. She noted that she had changed her upcoming EP to a two-part album titled Alchemical. On the album's split, Cameron noted that she "felt like [she] was writing the two halves in such different headspaces" calling it a "stark sonic page turn".

On July 24, 2023, Dove told Variety that she was really close to finishing the record. The album was released on December 1, 2023.

Genres and themes
"While the Emmy-winning star has been a household name [...] behind the scenes of Cameron’s success story, she's faced hardships that've forcibly kept her in touch with life’s harsh realities [...] Cameron, who’s seen a therapist for most of her life, approached writing Alchemical, Vol. 1 by revisiting many harrowing experiences she’s endured."

Alchemical: Volume 1 is primarily a pop, alt-pop, and goth-pop album. The album's lyrical content centres around love, breakups, self-reflection and grief and was described as a "looking glass into [Cameron's] intricate and impressively balanced mind". The album also incorporates a mix of ballads, orchestral elements and electronic dance music breakdowns. Washington Square News writer Eleanor Jacobs noted that the production team "utilizes deconstruction and are unafraid of mess as a means toward reflecting Cameron's honesty".

Cameron has stated that she was mostly inspired by her mother and American poet Jack Gilbert, adding that she loves to read poetry that "feels so human that [she's] reminded that we are eternal because all of these experiences are so varied and so many that it's actually universal".

Music and lyrics
The album opens with the song "Lethal Woman". The song was described as a "dramatic opening statement" and Cameron's vocals were compared to that of a Disney villain. The song lyrically centres around a woman Cameron met at a party who exuded "confidence, sensuality and danger". This is followed by the somber ballad, "Still", which received a comparison to Mykola Leontovych's, "Carol of the Bells". Michael Cragg noted that Cameron's "sultry voice adds a sinister dimension".

"Breakfast" was described as a "vulnerable track infused with rage". Cameron noted that it "emerged from vulnerable conversations in the studio" and based it on an experience she had where there was "a power imbalance dynamic in a relationship with a straight man". She added that while writing the song, she dived "into radical honesty to keep conversations going that were previously silenced, such as highlighting the LGBTQ+ community and other marginalized groups".

This was followed by "Sand" which was called the album's highlight and spoke on a toxic and unrequited relationship, "capturing the complexity of navigating a relationship where love is imbalanced". The song's songwriting received praise, being called "poetic and impactful". Cameron originally wrote the song as a poem. "White Glove" was called "camp-pop" and centres around living a luxury life with "with sex, money and drugs". The song was compared to the opening track's darkness. "God's Game" was described as haunting where Cameron sings about the "unpredictability of love" and vulnerability, noting that "[she] is no home for [someone]". In the song, Cameron reflects on her career.

"Boyfriend" was hailed as a queer anthem. The song "prowls around with a seductive swagger amid volcanic beat eruptions". The album concludes with "FRAGILE THINGS" which was called ethereal and serene, with Cameron drawing parallels "between her doomed romantic relationship and a house of fragile things". Cameron uses her low, sultry vocals on the finale, and is accompanied by a slow, high-pitched piano before building up to incorporate strings in a staccato manner. The song was compared to a pensive waltz that likens an old relationship to a dilapidated house.

Critical reception
Upon release, the album received generally positive reviews. Dork writer Martyn Young called the album "short, sharp and direct". He called Cameron a rising star, noting that the album "leaves you tantalisingly, and wanting more from an artist on the precipice of pop glory". Washington Square News writer Eleanor Jacobs also praised the album's songwriting although she noted some criticism for the tracklist, feeling that "the emotional arrangement feels too intentional to create any ongoing narrative within the tracklist, but is perhaps meant to establish a divide between the artist's past and present". She called the album "rife with reminiscence as well as a longing for healing and conclusion".

The Statesman writer Clare Gehlich gave the album high praise and felt it was "a culmination of Cameron writing music to process and express the trauma tied to her past relationships with moments of self-discovery". The Guardian wrtier Michael Cragg gave the album three stars, and compared Cameron to Billie Eilish and Lana Del Rey. Contrastingly, another writer for the same newspaper felt the album fell flat calling it a "failed experiment". He called Cameron a "black sheep" amongst Disney-turned-popstars Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter, critiquing the album's production.

Promotion
Cameron has stated that she will embark on a tour sometime in 2024.

Singles
"Boyfriend" was released as the album's lead single on February 11, 2022. The song became a commercial success and reached 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart becoming Cameron's first entry since 2015. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). A music video was released and has since surpassed more than 70 million views.

The album's second single, "Breakfast", followed in June 2023 and was released alongside a music video in response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade. The video went on to win an MTV Video Music Award for Best Video with a Social Message.

On October 20, 2023, the single "Lethal Woman" was made available alongside the album's pre-sale. On November 20, 2023, "Sand" was released as the album's last single alongside a music video.

Commercial performance
Alchemical: Volume 1 debuted at 41 on the UK Album Downloads Chart.

Track listing
Notes
 * $undefined$ signifies a vocal producer.
 * "Fragile Things" is stylized in all caps.

Personnel
Musicians
 * Dove Cameron – lead vocals (all tracks), background vocals (track 4)
 * Ryan Daly – background vocals (track 1)
 * Connor McDonough – background vocals (track 1)
 * Riley McDonough – background vocals (track 1)
 * Toby McDonough – background vocals (track 1)
 * Allie Stamler – violin (tracks 2, 8)
 * Jordan K. Johnson – drums, keyboards, programming (track 4)
 * Stefan Johnson – drums, keyboards, programming (track 4)
 * Michael Pollack – keyboards (track 4)
 * Isaiah Tejada – programming (track 4)
 * Evan Blair – background vocals, bass, drums, guitar, piano (track 7)

Technical
 * Dale Becker – mastering (tracks 1, 2, 4–6)
 * Eric Lagg – mastering (track 7)
 * Rich Costey – mixing (tracks 1, 2, 4–6)
 * Alex Ghenea – mixing (track 3)
 * Evan Blair – engineering (tracks 3, 7)
 * Stefan Johnson – engineering (track 4)
 * Jeff Citron – engineering assistance (tracks 1, 2, 4–6, 8)
 * Brady Wortzel – engineering assistance (track 4)