The Weekly Coos

Having been described as an Alice In Wonderland due to her artistic quirkiness, Dora Jar has been one to surprise with each release, showcasing more of what happens inside her head. She isn’t sonically confined to the overtures of the Bedroom Pop genre, of which she got pigeonholed, or so that’s how it feels with the creative aptitude one hears beyond certain indie pop sonic directness. It’s apparent through most of No Way To Relax When You Are On Fire, her debut album—as with past albums, it’s whimsical and ethereal, projecting more depth to her artistic character, hearing what she feels and thinks about, some of which isn’t rooted in the typical content like relationship tales, and more metaphorically driven. I guess you can say she is a breath of fresh air, but that also comes from hearing how she maneuvers through more rock-influenced soundscapes instead of the dreamier pop sounds, but the smaller details add to the idea of Alice In Wonderland as she plays in her own. No Way To Relax When You Are On Fire is a solid debut album that hits its highs while not tripping over the lows.

No Way To Relax When You Are On Fire eases you in with the production, starting with a heavy reverb on the guitars in the opening track, “This Is Why,” amplifying the atmosphere alongside the vocals before toning it down creatively with “Timelapse” and “Debbie Darling.” The former takes a more nuanced pop-rock approach while the latter is more in line with “Bedroom Pop;” even though they feel like a small step back, the latter is more a bump that becomes forgettable when “Ragdoll” elevates the soundscapes heard in “Timelapse.” It only starts getting better from there as we hear Dora Jar perform over these eclectic beats, delivering these fantastical fleeting thoughts that absorb depth through its sentiments within this firecracker. That firecracker comes out strong in “Smoke Out The Window,” which looks at Dora Jar’s confident unpredictability, instead of pretending to be someone she isn’t. She isn’t a trendsetter or following trends, she’s making her name known through these fantastic highs that consistently hit you, like “Smoke Out The Window,” or “She Loves Me,” a darkly bubbly and surreal self-reflexive look at her artistic stage presence and persona, self-love while facing a mental pause thinking about how both sides connect.

I’ve written about Dora Jar previously, so hearing the everlasting highs on the new album leaves me with no surprise that I came to enjoy it greatly. Though Jar isn’t straying from indie pop/bedroom pop complexions of where she started, she isn’t trying to stay one-track-minded, keeping the sounds different like the clashing strings amplifying each other on “Cannonball,” shifting the tempo high as she sings about her love feeling as dynamic as a cannonball shot. “Behind the Curtain” meshes slight glitchiness within steadfast stop-and-go percussion, and weaves in unique folk-influenced vocals, creating something out of this world. Highs like these are why she shines behind the microphone. When the production falls more in line with solid pop-rock and indie-pop beats, her vocals are there to hook you, shifting expectancy and surprises you, like the punkish vocals on “Puppet;” she brings some added chaos, reflecting its sentiments toward living life without fear. Highs like these stand out, but one can’t undercut moments where she gives us more nuanced pop or rock-like tracks, like the title track, which has a modest throughline of indie rock, elevating the sentiments they want to reflect.

As potent as the production at boosting Dora Jar’s vocals, her quirky writing offers more depth, elevating the songs further. As it has been with the release of “Multiply,” there is something to how she writes that gives off more outlandish vibes, wherein she doesn’t always want to give it to you straight. She has a heavy focus on metaphors and uses them significantly to imbue these stories, these perspectives that have great depth, like “ragdoll,” which focuses on going with the flow albeit in a moment of feeling powerless. “Holy Water” has us hearing Dora Jar’s conflictions with religion and the split emanating from having morals opposite the scripture. “Timelapse” sees Dora Jar reflecting on who she is as she maneuvers through life in New York City, making it seem like a blur. The content is full and you aren’t left starving from wanting more. However, that means the album is perfect, and some missteps with the forgettable “Debbie Darling” and “Sometimes All Ways,” weaken it. It does leave you feeling that Dora Jar’s ceiling is growing and what’s to come is more fantastic music

No Way To Relax When You Are On Fire is a great debut I’d heavily recommend, as I did when I wrote about her Digital Meadow EP in 2021. It flows with fluidity and gives us some fantastic melodies and overall performances that keep you hooked beyond the production/sound themselves. Dora Jar comes with a new set of producers and co-songwriters who help her mold this sound and grow it to be more exponential to the lengths taken before. I’m excited for what’s next; however, like I hope you do, I’ll be bumping many of these tracks consistently. She’s the weirdo in pop everyone will come to love as she makes her way through the landscape.