Review: Dodie – ‘Hate Myself’: A Catchy New Single

I was wrong to lament the seemingly far-away March release date of Dodie‘s full-length debut Build A Problem when it was announced back in October. We’ve now reached mid-January in what’s felt like the blink of an eye, with 3 singles from the record released in the meantime. Turns out March will be coming round sooner than I thought.

Following the pleasant ‘Cool Girl’ and ‘Rainbow’, ‘Hate Myself’ turns up the tempo a little. We’re treated to addictive call-and-response melodies, typically lovely harmonies and a foot-tapping bass drum. Though I’ve enjoyed the other singles, it does feel like ‘Hate Myself’ gets even closer to what makes Dodie an interesting songwriter. The chords feel right at home, with characteristically hushed strumming and whispery singing to complement. I like the just-slightly-edgy bass in the chorus, too.

If there’s anything to complain about with this track, its some of its timing. The groove of the thing feels like it wants to go just a bit faster; the drums don’t sound as locked-in as they’d need to to give us the head-bobbing chorus that the cut sounds like it’s aiming for. It’s a fairly nitpicky and potentially subjective criticism, but it can lead to the song’s upbeat sensibilities feeling a smidge downplayed. The production also gets somewhat messy, with the chorus’ stacked vocals sounding too grubby and some low frequencies (namely the boomy, otherwise-fine drums) echoing confusingly around the mix. It doesn’t hurt the track too much, as the tune at its core is still very likeable, but there’s some sonic conflict that doesn’t quite work for me.

Regardless, with Build A Problem just around the corner, ‘Hate Myself’ is worth a listen. Its accompanying music video is also really charming as something of a tribute to the postal service, relevant especially in 2021.

‘Hate Myself’ is available to listen to now via doddleoddle.