DIY Gloucestershire artist Devon has earned a reputation with his playful yet poignant brand of Indie-Pop. His EP 'WHY DO WE WAKE UP (BEFORE THE GOOD BIT)' features his single releases from the past 3 years and together forms his distinctive feel-good sound. His tracks are consistently worthy of any Indie dance party and I've had them stuck in my head throughout lockdown. So, I thought I would ask a few questions to get to know what goes into the solo project that has become probably my favourite discovery of the new year.
How have you found the response for the new EP?
"Yeah the response has been awesome really wasn't expecting people to stick on to my music the way they did as my style is always drastically changing because my brain is all over the place".
What reaction do you want people to have to your music?
"I hope that it gives them some sort of therapy. For me I'm most relaxed when I stick on an album I love and just sit there with a tea or coffee and just take it in like a movie. That's how I hope they listen to my music especially when I put out a bigger project".
One of the key characteristics in Devon's music is the stark contrast between the audible semantics and the lyrical content. Often his tracks tackle very personal sensitive issues that give them their character and make them more relatable. Yet, the music as a whole is entirely euphoric with soaring guitar riffs and sing a long pop chorus'. This juxtaposition is an interesting way of turning real pain into a therapeutic listening experience. Speaking on this Devon commented:
"I feel like its just something that naturally happens when I sit down at the piano or with a guitar. My hands just naturally gravitate to those kinds of chords that might give that kind of a vibe. I love pop music and i always consider my music to be pop regardless of the guitars so that type of writing definitely influences the songwriting. I have sad songs they just aren't out yet". "The subject matter is just always personal or meaningful to me because naturally I feel those are the songs that I end up liking for longer because they have more substance".
The artwork for your latest singles features a lot of natural backdrops - has your rural location had a big impact on your sound and ethos?
"For sure, I think it's something I wrestled with when I was younger and always thought was kind of cheesy. However as I got into the industry a bit more I realized how important that influence was to setting me apart from other people. To me it's just home but to everyone else it's the coolest place. So why not use it to my advantage".
Has lockdown helped or hindered your productivity? Do you think that music is especially vital right now to keep people sane in lockdown?
"I would say it has really affected me in any way creatively. I'm not an artist who writes loads everyday. I try not to force anything cause it will just make me lose interest and whatever I make usually just comes out boring. So yeah I'm also used to being locked away in my bedroom studio a lot im quite a home bird so it wasn't such a massive shock when we went into lockdown. Obviously it's strange and surreal but I'm just thankful I have something like songwriting/producing to occupy me".
What have you got coming up in 2021?
"Bigger project, lots more songs for me and others,videos and hopefully some live shows".
...And as always I had to ask what new music he has been listening to.
"Theres a band called Red Hearse made by Jack Antonoff and I haven't stopped listening to everything he's been doing lately. Also Pinegrove has been on repeat a lot".
Listen to Devon's EP alongside our fav new tracks on our Spotify playlist!!
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