John Deeringโs new single, โGotta Get Away,โ is rooted in heartbreak, war, and the aching hope of reunion. Written and recorded in his Minneapolis basement with the help of Peter Anderson (Run Westy Run) on drums and advisory input from Ryan Smith (Soul Asylum), the track proves that intimate, independent spaces can produce emotionally sweeping work. Inspired by the early days of the Ukraine War, Deering imagines the painful goodbye between a father and daughter, one bound to stay behind and fight, the other forced to flee toward uncertain safety. That haunting premise echoes through every note and breath of this emotionally charged release.
The track opens quietly, almost eerily, with Deeringโs falsetto soaring over slow guitar plucks. Soon, a deeper voice murmurs the phrase โYou gotta get awayโ that recurs like a ghost, to which the falsetto responds, โโฆfrom here.โ These two vocal layers act like internal voices, one resigned, the other emotional and urgent, weaving together in a kind of spiritual duet. Soon, the drums crash in and the sonic landscape thickens, percussion rattles, guitars grind, and a melancholy piano begins to tiptoe through the mix, amplifying the mystery and tension.
By the mid-section, everything swells. Gritty guitar distortion meets energetic drumming as the falsetto sheds restraint, climbing higher and more forcefully, echoing the chaos of war and the fatherโs fury toward the forces that tore his family apart. Just when the intensity seems ready to snap, it all retreats again as the energy fades, but the haunting refrain remains. Falsetto cries linger over a grinding, unresolved undercurrent, creating an ending that feels like a question with no answer.
โGotta Get Away,โ with emotional experimentation and a raw, cinematic core, John Deering delivers a standout indie track, reminding us of the hefty price that people pay for wars.
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Review by: Naomi Joan