Von LaRae – D.O.A (2022)
Addiction is something that you can easily slide into, only to find that it has completely overtaken your entire life and ruined it. This is something that Von LaRae understands and brings to their single ‘D.O.A.’ which highlights the struggle of addiction. Through the track, they consider the point where you would rather be lost in addiction if it meant you wouldn’t hurt anyone else.
The darkness of addiction is woven into the Afrobeat base and the upper layers of the melody that carry a fusion of neo-soul and alternative RnB. Written in the early stages of their own sobriety, the single offers a cathartic journey, packed with healing energy. The personal inner struggles that are sprinkled through the track have a delightful universality to them that makes the song easy to connect with.
‘D.O.A’ slowly draws your attention, with the beats that call to something deep in your soul. The Afrobeat influence can be heard in the beats that tap around the darkness of the single and call you forward. There is a wonderfully organic feeling to the beats as they lead you further into the single. The shuffle of tones that comes through later brings a new texture to the track that makes you want to move to the rhythm. There is something about the melody that reaches into your soul and brings forth a movement that is undeniably pure. While the beats of the music fill the soundscape, there is an interesting stripped-back feeling to the melody. Using only these beats for the instrumentation is rather bold, but LaRae has done this with a masterful flair.
While the organic touches of the melody have you moving to the soul of the single, the vocals pull you into a darker place. There is a whiskey-warm edge to the vocal performance that combines with an almost smoky vibe. The vocals draw you into a dark, yet heated, place that you can’t seem to escape. This perfectly brings the slide of addiction to life as you effortlessly fall under their spell. As the single progresses, the dark touches of the vocals turn into a struggle against addiction and toward sobriety. The lyrics touch on the reason why many people will rather stay lost in addiction. It is a really powerful single that offers a unique take on the fight against addiction.
Von LaRae draws you into the dark heat of addiction through a smooth slide of neo-soul and Afrobeat that calls to something deep in your soul in ‘D.O.A’. The single is powerful not only in the melodics, but the unique take on the struggle of addiction. Using a relatively stripped-back melody and rich vocals, they dive into darkness and wanting to fight, but also wanting to give in forever.
Find out more about Von LaRae on their Instagram and Spotify.
