Do What You Gotta Do – Dejhare (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

If dance music is built around intoxicating and hypnotic rhythms and pop music sass and addictive groove, then this latest song from Dejhare seems to exist at the point where those two sibling genres meet. Not only meet, but meld and merge, then mutate into a hybrid sound which is as likely to sooth the clubland connoisseur as it is to court the mainstream pop-picker. 

And unlike many songs which spring from such sonic crucibles, Do What You Gotta Do has a deeper message to. Just as John Lennon stated all those years ago, “Whatever Gets You Thru The Night,” this is a song which carries a similar sentiment, this time specifically aimed at the Covid situation and the strange times we find ourself trying to come to terms with. And just like her ability to blend musical genres, lyrically she offers reassurance whilst at the same time wrapping her message up in sassy, sing-along lyrics, undoubtably the best of both worlds…come for the grove, stay for the friendly advice!

Do What You Gotta Do glides across the dance floor on confident beats and shimmering synths, it grooves with pop poise and seems as much woven from euphoria and enthusiasm as it is sonics and sass. And if you might think that those elements are the same building blocks that all music in this generic field is raised from, that there is nothing game changing or boundary pushing at work here, then you are right. And totally wrong. Yes, there is a sense of the familiar here but what Dejhare is so great at is taking those comfortable sonic strands and making them more, much more the beats land heavier than before, the groove runs harder, the synths dance more energetically and the vocals are more dynamic, wandering from pop peaks to hushed ambient whispers.

If it is pop, then in is pop plus, pop with added zing. If it is dance then it is heightened and anthemic. And whilst being all of those things its just damned clever with it. Dance with a Diploma? Pop with a PhD? Why not?