Alive To Me - EVV’s ‘Homebody’
Isn’t the internet great? Here I am, at my kitchen table in South-East England, and by signals floating through air I can instantly access so much of the amazing music the world has to offer. How many artists that I’ve written about have I actually met? How many am I likely to meet? Minneapolis musician Evelyn Speers has poured their heart and soul into their music under a project called EVV, with their debut EP containing their latest single ‘Dead To Me’.
Image Credit: Ani Carlson.
The multi-talented EVV writes and records all their parts on their studio recordings. Inspired by jazz, blues and rock, their music is a stripped-back affair with drums, bass, guitar and killer vocals. During live performances, EVV is backed up by Alex Norman on drums and Shannon Maroney on bass guitar, who are also the rhythm section to bugsy, another Minneapolis band I’ve had the pleasure to write about. For an up-to-date reference of the EVV live sound, check out the session they recorded for Ear Coffee which can be seen here. But going further back, it was December 2019 when EVV released their debut single, ‘I’m Not Your Woman’.
I’m Not Your Woman begins with picked electric guitar, and subtle keyboard strings. Early on I love the accented parts on the lyric: ‘My baby's not lazy, I'm just his lady, it's crazy, he made me, his puppet, he played me’. Even though the accents are just done with guitar and vocals, it’s the focus on that which helps deliver it. It’s when the drums come in though that fully sucks you into this track. The drums are mostly dry, engineered brilliantly by Claire Altendahl, with subtle reverb on the vocals and guitar. The feel of this recording so perfectly gets EVV’s point across especially in the chorus; ‘I'm not your woman, and I'm not your girl. Treat me like a nothing, when I should be your world. Speak, not with your words, but your actions. Treat me like your main attraction, if I was your woman, and you were my man, but I don't know if you can.’ A track that stays with you long after it’s ended.
A year later, EVV released their debut EP entitled ‘Homebody’ featuring three tracks. ‘He Said, No More’ is the first of these. This track begins in a similar way to I’m Not Your Woman, EVV’s electric guitar is palm-muted, with EVV singing over it. This time there’s no keyboard, but I think the bass is more noticeable. It really fills out those lower frequencies not handled by guitar, but the rhythm is similar, keeping the bass close without wandering off. The sound of the ride is so crisp, the drums in general really put you in the room with it, like you’re sitting cross-legged watching the band perform. The instruments all serve to keep EVV’s voice in the spotlight, the intimacy of which is like EVV is telling you a story directly, a common aspect of their songwriting.
A chorus effect is applied to EVV’s guitar in the opening of ‘(S)he Who Will Not Be Named’, as well as a bit of reverb. In those little guitar flicks, the combination of these effects really makes the sound of the guitar truly glisten. The bass guitar has a little more freedom, talking a walk like the bass in all good blues tracks, which opens this composition out a little more. There aren’t any drums in this song, which would only crowd the track, but EVV’s guitar helps to keep the rhythm in percussive strokes. Also, it’s great to hear more vocal layers, no doubt assisted by Shannon Maroney when performed live. The reverb on the guitar is increased as (S)he Who Will Not Be Named reaches its conclusion, like it’s twisting away into silence.
But in context with the rest of the EP, ‘Dead To Me’ is something altogether different. The drums are back, which pound the skins with ‘Regret from me, upset with me, why you mad, bitch, you ain't in debt with me.’ Much heavier in sound, the usually closed hi-hats are now open, as the band comes out of its shell. Even the verses are driven by the rhythm section, picked bass guitar cutting through under EVV’s lyrics, which are embraced by a superb melody here too. I particularly love the way they sing ‘Baby you should tell me’, like they mean every word they say. Originally released earlier in 2020, this version of Dead To Me is a new master for the Homebody release, which is embodied with a great music video that captures the mood and style of the track perfectly.
Continue reading for our Q&A with EVV, who goes into detail about their lyrical inspirations for these songs, the recording process, making the Dead To Me music video, their band, and the future of their music. All this and more below! Maybe one day I’ll get to see them perform live too.
Image Credit: Maeve Gimpl.
1. Your debut EP 'Homebody' came out at the end of 2020, tell me about the recording. Where was it done? Did it take long to put together?
I recorded my EP (which was originally an eight-song album) with my friend Robbie at IPR. We both graduated together from Perpich in 2018. For three or four Sundays, I went and recorded with him for 4-10 hours. I play everything on my EP, so the process took a while (especially since it was eight songs originally). He mixed the three tracks on my EP, and I went to different people to mix the other tracks (I decided to rerecord the others). They were mastered by Alex Ness; I had one mixed in June and the other two in early fall. So, the overall recording process took 6-9 months, but it took me nearly a year for everything.
2. What were the lyrical inspirations for the tracks on the EP?
In ‘He Said, No More’, it is about two things specifically. First, I wanted to touch on all the unrealistic and often times outlandish beauty standards that everyone is supposed to meet. It is so common to hear people say that they have a “type”, but oftentimes that “type” is greatly influenced by media and the things that we are constantly fed about beauty and what that supposedly means. This song is also about me coming to terms with the fact that I’m not interested in men. As much as I’ve tried to convince myself that it’s just a phase, that façade has faded very quickly.
In ‘(S)he Who Will Not Be Named’, I am telling a story about two people who were extremely abusive and terrible and how that affected me in those relationships. That’s the reasoning for the “(S)”, one was a man, and one was a woman. In the first verse, I am talking about my first girlfriend in high school (senior year). She didn’t respect my boundaries in terms of intimacy, so I broke up with her and ended up losing all of my friends because she convinced them that our breakup was out of the blue. And the second verse is about a family member who was abusive.
And as a child, I had no control over what happened to me. So now I don’t talk to my family because they tried to pin it on me and blame me for not saying anything until I was an adult. And though the situation is extremely messy, I am stronger and better because of it, plus I was able to write this song (which is pretty catchy if I do say so myself).
In ‘Dead to Me’, I had some pretty terrible bosses. They did any and everything to make me uncomfortable because they had no reasonable cause to fire me, and they still didn’t. It was mostly about my anger towards them, but I was also trying to write from the perspective of a celebrity (funny enough). I am so out of the loop when it comes to social media and celebrities, but after all the drama I’ve read about, this is how I imagined they might have felt.
3. You decided to re-release your single 'Dead To Me' with a new video, where was that shot?
It was shot in my basement and bathtub! My roommate Emily did the videography for me. Doing a music video had always been a goal of mine, so I decided to bite the bullet and plan one. I bought fake money from Amazon, found some props around the house; I had so much fun setting up the scenes and picking out outfits. Also edited the music video on Emily’s laptop which I was genuinely grateful for because I would have had to edit it on my phone.
4. You also cut a new master for 'Dead To Me', what was the reason behind doing that?
During the riots back in June, Alex Ness offered to mix and master for free as mutual aid for POC artists. He was very kind and remastered it for me. I’d also planned to have it be a part of the EP originally (even though it was released early). The EP was supposed to come out in April of 2020, that’s why ‘Dead to Me’ was released in March of 2020.
5. 'I'm Not Your Woman' was your first single, released in December 2019. Were these lyrics inspired by real events?
The lyrics were luckily not inspired by real events. At the time I wrote the song, every other song I’d written was fast and more about the music/feel vs the lyrics/meaning of the song. So, I wanted to challenge myself lyrically and write a ballad. I love writing as if I were in someone else’s shoes. And I wanted to write a dramatic song with the intention of a really in-depth music video in the future. But I have no idea what that will look like.
6. The rhythm section for EVV is Alex Norman and Shannon Maroney from bugsy, how did you meet them and how did they become involved in your project?
Shannon and I met back in middle school. We have played together throughout the years and have been good friends for years. Before Alex, my friend Claire played drums (she played some of my first EVV shows), but she moved to New York. Shannon has been my bassist from the beginning, and Alex became my drummer when we moved in together (August 2020). They’ve been helping me with my most recent recording and live streams.
7. Talk nerdy to me. What's your guitar set-up?
Honestly, I am so ignorant when it comes to gear. I have a black Ibanez that I was given back when I was 12, as well as a Fender jazz bass. That’s the most I’ve got for you (haha).
8. I've never been to Minneapolis, or the U.S. for that matter. What's your favourite place in Minneapolis?
I don’t get out or go out enough to have a favorite place; I am genuinely a homebody. I do love to go on daylong road trips (about 2 hours away) and getting lemonade (which is my favorite drink).
9. I love your sound! What were you listening to that inspired you to become a musician?
I love this question! I was greatly inspired by a local Minneapolis artist, her name is Mayda. She is an amazing guitarist and songwriter; I’ve looked up to her since I was 11. That’s why so much of my music is riff-based, I discovered her when I first started learning guitar. She came to my graduation party and I almost cried. And as I started getting older and more experienced, I started listening to The Arctic Monkeys and Hiatus Kiyote which I then incorporated into my own music and writing style.
10. And what have you been listening to in 2021?
I have been listening to a combination of new local artists, my friend’s bands, as well as my old favorites. Here are some of the bands/artists that I’m currently listening to: boyish, Se So Neon, Arctic Monkeys, Moses Sumney, Cleo Sol, Nick Hakim, etc.
11. What's next for EVV in 2021? I saw in your Ear Coffee gig that you have some unreleased songs?
I’ve been in the studio; I plan on releasing it this year (the date is still unknown). I am working on some collaborations as well as writing new music. I am hoping to do another music video or a photography project. I am also hoping to play shows again by late fall. There are so many things that I want to do, everything is so up in the air at the moment due to COVID.
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Purchase EVV’s music on Bandcamp, as well as the hats worn by the band in the Ear Coffee session!
Follow EVV on Instagram and Twitter @evv_music.
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