John Deering’s new single, “Gotta Get Away,” is a chilling, tear-stained take inspired by a real-life tragedy. Based on an experience in the early days of the conflict in Ukraine, the song follows a father saying goodbye to his daughter as she evacuates, a love in a time of madness that remains in the air long after the song has finished.
Deering delves into exploratory vocal textures and supporting instrumentation in order to tell a story that’s mentally and emotionally convoluted. The soundscape is deliberately ambiguous, floating between dreamy placidity and simmering discomfort, echoing the emotional toll of dissociation and survival. His capacity for emotional resonance through musical understatement provides the story with a singular depth.
What lifts the track is a powerful middle eight, at which point the mood takes a hard turn. So here the anger and the grief get to take over and find a release that’s equally cathartic to the lines’ cool, contained grief. It’s an emotional pivot that anchors the story in very human, visceral responses to incomprehensibly senseless loss and injustice.
“Gotta Get Away” is an evocative account of experience as witnessed through the eyes of people caught in conflict. Deering is still using his gift to shape international pain into a personal kind of art and making music that speaks volumes well beyond borders.