With a bubbly and lively personality, Dodie Clark has not only taken YouTube, but the music industry by storm.

 Clark started as a Youtuber with her channel, Doddleoddle, singing covers of songs along with some of her own. In recent years, her music career has launched her into the charts and the touring scene.

 On Jan. 12, she released a new song and music video entitled “Hate Myself,” which is to be on her debut album coming out in March. The music video has a cool-toned aesthetic and takes us to a coastal town where we follow Clark’s character working on the dream of being a successful, young mail carrier. The song and music video are coded with a journey of growth and confidence.  

The track opens with self-questioning that ultimately leads to self-doubt. The lyrics ask, “did I ruin the day?” and “do you look angry?” The sweet melodic voice we hear starts to sound timid and insecure. This could be interpreted as an interaction with someone else or even one’s own internal monologue. 

In the music video, Clark is working hard towards her goal, but a few bumps in the road come along. She falls and scrapes her knee, embarrassing herself in front of a town resident. She begins to lose hope.     

There is one line in the song that really struck me. I think it is one of the most impactful lines of the song. In the chorus Clark sings, “I can’t read your mind, but how can you not hear the whole conversation I have, sitting still with a brain on fire?” I connected it with the feeling one gets when they start to overthink. It can be easy to spiral in a self-deprecating train of thought, and I think Clark did a great job comparing it to a “brain on fire.”  

The turning point in the music video is when Clark gets a paper cut on her finger. She takes a moment to look at it. It seems she is gathering her thoughts, debating if any of this will be worth it. Nevertheless, she slaps a bandage on it and pushes through. After this point in the music video, we start to see the hard work paying off. In the bridge, Clark starts to take a chance on herself with the line of “I’m hoping I’m ready here.” The light humming adds to the glimpse of hope Clark is feeling. The bridge gradually builds in volume as she starts gaining more and more confidence.  

The video transitions to Clark pulling out an official postal carrier uniform. The symbolism of the uniform and her confidence here really jumps out. There are strategic shots of her getting dressed in it to emphasize this moment. Clark’s character has finally achieved a strong sense of self-confidence.  

The outro of the song includes drumming and overlapping of vocals that seem to be becoming a Dodie Clark signature, as they also appear in the outro of another one of her songs “Monster.” The video finishes off with an interesting scene of Clark ascending into a mail delivery heaven. It could be portraying the sense of euphoria that can be found when we discover ourselves and have the courage to be truly authentic in our world.  

I am excited to see how this album turns out. Clark often speaks on her Instagram and YouTube channel of the work she has put into it. The album entitled “Build A Problem” will feature 22 songs for fans to obsess over. A string section scored and recorded by Clark, one of her proudest achievements, will also be on the album. The release date, March 5, just cannot come soon enough.