Today, rising folk-pop existentialist Dora Jar unveils her highly-anticipated debut album No Way To Relax When You Are On Fire, via Island Records. The long-awaited introspective record dives headfirst into philosophical depths, conjuring the whimsy of a smoke ring from Wonderland's wise caterpillar. Across 13 captivating tracks, she showcases her knack for transcending boundaries, gracefully defying the music industry's desire for easy categorization with her dark pop fantasia. “It might be the contrarian in me, in light of everyone identifying themselves and others, but I never want to stick to one sound or identity,” Dora says. “I like to shape-shift.”
No Way To Relax When You Are On Fire is the culmination of a series of recent releases from Dora, including “Behind the Curtain”, “Ragdoll”, “Timelapse”, and “She Loves Me”, all exceptional highlights from an album that spans a wide range of musical styles ranging from folk to rock to pop. Listen to No Way To Relax When You Are On Fire HERE and pre-order vinyl HERE. Following her well received festival debut at Lollapalooza, Dora will set out on a ‘Behind The Curtain’ North American headline tour, kicking off September 22 in Boston. Purchase tickets HERE.
Much of the record’s introspective wandering was sparked after Dora wrote the album’s title track, “No Way To Relax When You Are On Fire.” She got the idea shortly after ending a stint on Billie Eilish’s tour, a terrifying and exalting career high. For Dora, it also felt like a catch-22. “Being on fire can be an amazing feeling; I'm on fire. I'm so productive. I am confident. I’m hot shit” she says. “And then there's also ‘I'm freaking out,’ like, I don't know what to do with all of this action.” The album was recorded over the course of the last two years in a smattering of places: Poland, Alaska, California, and Mississippi (as Dora was in town building a “mud cob hut”). The list of collaborators also runs the gamut with Ralph Castelli (glaive), Henry Kwapis (Dominic Fike, Dijon), George Daniel (The 1975, Charli XCX), and Rostam Batmanglij (Vampire Weekend, Clairo) credited as producers.
All these places and hands give the album the effect of peering at a collage. Songs energetically flit from sweeping folk to rock, to her signature psychedelic pop, to tranquil ballads written during a dark night of the soul. But what ties everything together, pulls it into one cohesive portrait, is Dora’s vivid and opaquely surreal songwriting. Listening to the album is like hearing all the ways Dora sees herself and her career. On “Puppet,” she cuts her own industry-controlled strings, while on “Ragdoll” is resigned to being tossed around by the forces of life. On “Debbie Darling,” the melancholic soul of the album, she confronts her shadow self: “Look what I found,” she sings, “My bad attitude suffocating in a bubble wrap suit.” The album’s stunning closer, “Holy Water,” meanwhile, dissects the lingering effects attending an Episcopal Day School had on her psyche. “Terrified of the holy father/ In my mind, in the dark.”
Born in New York but raised in LA, the 24-year-old singer’s formative sound has already captured the attention of NPR, The New York Times, W Magazine, Billboard, Pigeons & Planes, Pitchfork and more. Dora quickly grew an audience with gentle indie rock tracks like "Multiply", and her eclectic, playful, but mature songwriting skills led to the release of her debut EP, Digital Meadow in 2021, followed by 2022’s comfortably in pain. Over the course of 2022, she blessed fans with alluring singles “Bumblebee”, “Bump” and “Spell”, and joined Billie Eilish on her 'Happier Than Ever World Tour' in the US, Australia, and New Zealand. After selling out her first North American headline tour in 2022, Dora embarked on a national arena tour with The 1975 in 2023, playing sold-out shows at legendary venues like TD Garden in Boston and Madison Square Garden in New York City. With an electrifying festival debut, debut album out, and a headline tour on the horizon, Dora Jar is gearing up for an exciting next chapter.
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