Singer-songwriter DORA GOLA was born in Poland and moved to the Republic of Ireland in her late teens. She began releasing music professionally as an independent artist in 2021, gaining critical respect from Irish music publications such as Hot Press, who named her one of their “Hottest Acts” shortly after her debut. Over the years, she has built a small but loyal following with her single releases and live performances throughout the country, such as Dublin’s Electric Picnic and Limerick’s Polish Arts Festival. She has been compared to the likes of Enya, Kate Bush and Shakira. That’s quite the eclectic trio.
Her debut album, Dance with Danger, was written, composed, and produced in its entirety by DORA herself and her producer Darragh Keary, who also sings backup. Sonically, it’s mainly haunting alt-pop and folktronica with elements of pop, funk, orchestral, and world music. The main instrument — and main attraction — is DORA’s own voice. At times commanding in its strength, at times soft, it’s hypnotic, sensuous, and one of the purest voices in Irish indie pop.
The album is a beautiful merger of the musical traditions of both countries DORA calls home. While you can pinpoint similarities with her alt-pop predecessors (Bjork) and peers (Zella Day) throughout the songs, there’s no denying DORA GOLA was successful in crafting a musical soundscape that’s entirely her own with Dance with Danger. It pays homage to nature, one’s innermost self, and connection. The listener can experience this musical landscape and make it their own.
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Lyrically, it shows an artist who is in touch with their feelings and inner world. A singer who invites you to follow her as she sings with precision and emotion, and chants her “language of love” (an actual chant repeated through multiple songs, connecting them).
Dance with Danger is not super commercial, but it’s an accessible listen. Out of its fourteen songs, its most radio-friendly are “Oh You Wild Thing”, “Oh Deo” and “Flying Tree”. All three songs would do well on alternative radio and, with some push, I could see “Oh Deo” making an appearance on pop radio. If these trio of songs got pop/dance remixes, I can definitely see them impacting pop radio or making it into the playlist of club DJs on the regular (Coke Beatz, your move).
“Jestem” is the best song on the album. The word “Jestem” means “I am” in Polish, and the song is a reflection on simply allowing oneself to be. It’s mainly a piano ballad with elements of soul in DORA’s vocal performance, and features the language of love chant in the end. It’s a vocal and instrumental triumph, so simple yet so packed with emotion. It feels like a spiritual song. It may be one of the least poppy numbers, but it is the one that stays with you long after you’ve listened to the LP.
Other standouts include the melodically lush, vocally stunning “Dark Sands”, the hypnotic title
track and earworms “Oh, You Wild Thing” and “Flying Tree”.
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Now onto what doesn’t really work. Dance with Danger didn’t need to be fourteen songs long. Chopping off the last two “bonus tracks” would have been much better. “Enough” isn’t as strong as the rest of the album, and its melody is forgettable. The “undressed” version of “Dark Sands”, while beautiful, feels like it belongs to another project (Dance with Danger: Undressed?). Both tracks feel unnecessary to the final product. While I’m glad DORA actually churned out songs instead of 1:59 minute-long attempts at viral fame, “Warm Wind” is a song that could have used some chopping. Meanwhile, the 2:42 minute number “Sadeya” doesn’t pack the same punch as any of the other songs, in spite of the lovely vocals.
Overall, Dance with Danger is a wildly impressive debut album from a fully formed artist that has cemented her “one to watch” status with this release. Music lovers better keep an eye on what she comes up with next.
Dance with Danger will be released on November 7th. It’s been available on Bandcamp since October 17th.
