The mind, as a rational body, is torn between being alone or together, being faithful or not. The mind ultimately facilitates the dissolution and the impropriety. But the heart, in its inherent altruism, knows the truth. The heart, outside of all the thoughts and rationale, knows better. And that’s where most of DAV!D&CLARA’s music comes from. The ability to take complex emotions and narratives and distill them into something effortlessly poetic seems like a prerequisite in an era of superficial songs. But David Castillo’s ability to bring a headiness and an intellectual weight to purely emotional proceedings is peerless at almost any time. “Do it like you mean it”, the brand new single by DAV!D&CLARA does this immaculately.
Formed back in 2004, the improbable duo of DAV!D&CLARA, made up of singer, songwriter and producer DAV!D (David Castillo) and his trustworthy computer CLARA, continues to churn out songs that are slow-paced ruminations on modern life channeled through the eyes of a post-modern observer.
The need to escape, the need for love, the need for a distraction, for anything, for everything, and then nothing in particular – depending on whose heart you’re holding in your hand – all comes through in this song’s hypnotizing jaunt. DAV!D&CLARA, convey an entire narrative through strangely enchanting and vague lyrics. This is the true majesty of David Castillo’s songwriting.
“Do it like you mean it” is a masterpiece of understated-yet-exploratory synth pop with an industrial twist. The song reveals itself to be one that fearlessly and deftly uses poetic songwriting and outré production to tell a striking and complete narrative. But something that truly makes the lyrics pop is the nature of the track’s sonics.
Whether it’s DAV!D&CLARA’s methodical use of acoustic guitar samples, which picks and crawls it’s way across the entire track, or the deep crunchy and growling sound of the synths, which rumble above the rhythm, the track boasts enough texture and idiosyncrasy to delight anyone with a good pair of headphones.
Whether you consider it apparitional or beatific, the production on “Do it like you mean it” is inextricably linked to the lyricism, paralleling the poetic honesty of David Castillo’s words. David is one of the more creative underground musicians around. One who isn’t caught up in fickle trends. He follows his own lane, but hasn’t been given a truly due recognition for his works thus far.
As a singer, his voice is really low, something that is not usual in pop music, but he has a unique way of singing, his hypnotic voice being a perfect complement to his songs. David’s personality is both strong and vulnerable at the same time, and is often reflected in DAV!D&CLARA’s music, through the contrasting light and dark ambiance generated there.
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