indie pop/rock

EP Review: Deanna Devore – half and half

Chicago and Toronto based Deanna Devore is not only a singer and a songwriter but also a producer and multi-instrumentalist. She showcases her talent on the EP half and half, which she self-produced in a Toronto home studio and played all of the instruments. Half of the seven tracks on the EP reveals her downtempo electronic side and the other half of the album spotlights her acoustic singer-songwriter style.

Devore writes her songs keeping in mind what the outcome and effect the music will have on the listener. Her songwriting inspiration comes from a sensory position where particular melodies or chords evoke an emotion or feeling. She reveals that she digs into the darkness and light of life and love when it comes to lyrics.

Devore has also successfully performed at local, regional and national sold-out festivals such as NXNE, 80/35, Summerfest, and CMJ. She has also opened for electronic masterminds Bonobo, jazz/pop heavyweight Jamie Cullum, SG Lewis, Lapalux, and Kat Edmonson, as well as fellow Canadian artists Basia Bulat, Calvin Love, and Juno Award-winning Lights.

Devore would like to encourage other female artists to take charge of their music. “I’d love to inspire other songwriters and another female multi-instrumentalist/producers. There aren’t many of us out there it seems, so I’d love to inspire more female musicians to self-produce”.

half and half is a collection of captivating soundscapes with velvety vocals, soothing melodies, and authentic lyricism.

Seven Eight

The first track that starts off the EP is “Seven Eight” which revisits the intense feelings from the start and finish of a relationship that never quite took off.

The brief intro is a slow, bright blend of synth and light percussion that immediately taps your attention. But then the soundscape downshifts and you can feel it slip into a heavier melody right before the first verse. Devore’s rich vocals take center stage laying out the lyrics in a clipped emphasis. You can hear the pensiveness in her voice as she recalls the beginning of a relationship. The tension slightly builds with an elongated note at the end of the verse and rises dramatically into the chorus.

The chorus shifts to uptempo and you feel like you’re in a whirling in a glass case of emotions. Devore’s bright vocals float above the melody beautifully without rushing to match it. She paints lyrically the feelings of a relationship that never really got going and having to relinquish it.

Coming out of the chorus and into the second verse, Devore tapers off her vocals softly and you can feel yourself drop back into the previous unharried melody. A mellow synth and bright percussion solo ensue, washing over you like a wave of calm. Devore’s vocals with an underlying melancholy soak up the verse as she questions what happened to the relationship but is perhaps comforted by what she once had.

The last chorus has a surprise twist from the previous two lyrically. She wonders now not about what was lost but at what cost came this relationship that headed nowhere. Devore laments how these thoughts haunt her and stay with her after previously believing they held her up so she could fight on through. The track finishes off by coming full circle back to the soothing almost meditative synth and percussion solo from the beginning.

Effortlessly

The track “Effortlessly” is a standout song that demonstrates how a relationship that began so effortlessly can end the same way when you feel your lover has a change of heart.

The deep bassline punctuated with bright keys emulates an R&B vibe as it opens the song. Devore’s velvety vocals come right in with the first verse, holding your attention as her voice glides over the lush soundscape. There’s an underlying sadness in her voice you can sense as she realizes her lover’s interest is no longer there.

At the end of the verse, the song abruptly stops for a second and the melody changes upon entering into the chorus. There is no tension to release but it does become brighter, punctuated with subtle finger snaps. This mirrors the transition heard in Devore’s emotive vocals as she goes from being previously melancholy to reminiscing about the effortless attraction. But then she pivots and shows that her lover is obviously having second thoughts.

This emotional slide continues into the next verse as Devore sullenly holds out hope. But in the end, she sees the signs are there as her lover has broken their promises and the relationship, like her lover, are gone. Then she heads back into the chorus followed by a synth/keyboard/percussion solo with Devore adding a few beautiful vocalizations.

Then it’s back to the chorus and straight into the final verse. Here, Devore showcases once again her silky vocals as she tells her lover that they’ll never know the truth. She plays up the word “truth” with gentle up and down emphasis and cleverly ends with her repeats of the words “never know/never know/no” which gives you the feeling she is taunting her lover.

A Cause

“A Cause” is a standout track that examines looking to the past to find a cause for something when there is none.

The intro has a melody that mimics your heartbeat with a robust bassline and warm electro synth. Entering quietly is Devore’s velvety textured vocals floating above the mesmerizing soundscape, that will capture you from the start. In the first verse, you can hear the deep reflection in her voice as she examines time gone past.

Heading into the chorus, there is no vocal release of anticipation or any stratospheric vocals. Instead, you can feel Devore’s vocals shift emotionally, mirroring the warm melody, as they take on a slightly brighter, determined tone when she declares she’ll find the cause she’s been searching for.

Exiting the chorus you are carried away into the flowing synth and pulsing bass solo. At the end of the solo, going into the next verse, you can feel the bassline shift its intensity as it recedes to the background. The synth melody ebbs and flows effortlessly, punctuated with delicate finger snaps on the downbeat.

The next verse lyrically feels cryptic and vocally ethereal as she pretends everything is fine as she reaches back into the past for answers. Devore reinforces this feeling with a firm emphasis on each word like a stepping stone while beautifully elongating some words. This vocal style continues with the last verse after another ride along with the chorus.

Next, there is a warm synth and heavy bassline intermission which then melds into the last chorus. Then it appears again but as an unhurried solo that gently fades away to end the track.

Breathing Room

The acoustic track “Breathing Room” is a captivating song about giving your heart both space and time to heal.

A quiet but upbeat acoustic guitar melody taps you briefly on the shoulder as the intro. The first verse is short in words but long on visuals, broken in half by beautiful guitar strumming. Devore’s vocals envelop the sadness as she chronicles the estrangement she feels with a broken heart. From here, she glides into the lyrically two sentence chorus where you step into a different world.

In the chorus, everything morphs into a mesmerizing soundscape. Devore’s deep, honey-dipped vocals send you off into a dream-like state of mind. Calmness and genuine warmth exude in her delivery as she advises to “give your heart some breathing room”. The acoustic guitar solo following the chorus and in between verses brilliantly creates this feeling.

In the last verse, Devore lightens up her vocals lined with frustration when dealing with the person or situation that has broken your heart. This is carried into the second line of the chorus when the lyrics point to self-blame and assumption. But she rallies you right back in the next verse.

After the second repeat of the chorus, there is a somber instrumental. Then Devore’s haunting vocals come back for one last refrain. The final minutes of the song circle back to the guitar intro ending with a gentle but defining last strum.

When I Go Home

The last track on the EP, “When I Go Home”, encapsulates the warm welcome that you experience when you return home.

The song’s intro, a slow pulsating bassline overlaying a synth, melds softly into Devore’s angelic voice. Her vocals feel like they envelop you as they blend in with the comforting soundscape. You’re carried gently along with Devore’s beautiful delivery of the lyrics. She creates a sensation of the warmth you experience when returning home after being away for a long time.

This atmosphere is wonderfully carried further with the mini solo within the first verse. There is no tension leading up to the chorus, no detection of a change melodically up ahead. It is in the chorus where Devore’s vocals lift up to a slightly higher reach hinting at an underlying strength waiting in the wings.

The lyrics are a bit cryptic but they mirror the ambiance Devore vocally creates. They seem to describe the solace of being home where you feel comforted, rejuvenated, and protected, whether that’s with people or the home itself.

The song heads into a haunting solo after the last verse. The wind sound emanating from the synth sweeps you up and quickly back down. The synth’s elongated notes create a relaxing endless loop. Devore breaks in with the last chorus and then the song ends with a lovely spotlighted synth.

Fuels, In A Way

Rounding out the EP are the tracks “Fuels” and “In A Way”. The laid-back track “Fuels” explores how you reflect over past events looking for a reason to make sense of everything. The buoyant acoustic track “In A Way” laments the realization you can be with someone but feel alone.

Highly Recommended. Deanna Devore has a gift for writing songs that lure you in with intriguing soundscapes and authentic lyrics. Her captivating vocals stand out for their soothing texture that doesn’t need to reach soaring heights. half and half is a listening experience you will want to add to your playlist.

Buy/Download half and half on all major platforms worldwide including iTunes, Apple Music, Google Play, and Amazon

Stream on Spotify, Soundcloud, and other platforms.

Discover Indie Pop/Rock Artist Ruen

By Linda Garnett

Indie Pop/Rock singer/songwriter Ruen is the solo project of music producer turned artist, Rhiannon Mair. Based in Margate, England, Ruen started out behind the scenes working in some of the UK’s most iconic studios with artists such as Laura Marling, DIDI, Bryde, Kimberly Anne and Emma McGrath.

Championed by Music Tech Magazine as a ‘rising UK production star’, Ruen has now brought her engineering and production skills into her own music. Her first single, “Bad Behaviour”, a song about being close to someone in an abusive relationship, was released in April 2018.

Ruen is currently writing and recording new music she aims to release early next year. She also is co-writing and producing a couple of artists. As for touring, Ruen would like to plan a small European tour next year. For now, she’ll be performing some shows this summer.

You can catch Ruen at her next live show on 3 July 2018 at The Finsbury, London.

I recently interviewed Ruen about her new project, new release, producing, her love of drums, and more.

Congratulations on your first single release, “Bad Behavior”. What is the concept or theme behind it?

The song is about being close to someone who is in an abusive relationship. Watching how they go back again and again to an abusive partner knowing that they are bad for them.

Congratulations also on launching your solo project! You have been a producer for an impressive list of artists and Music Tech Magazine recently championed you as “a rising UK production star’. What inspired you to become a solo artist?

There were moments when working with other artists where I was starting to think ‘this is really cool’ I wish I could do something like this on my music. I have always written music and I think I got to a point where I felt that I could create the sound I wanted to by myself.

How did you come up with the name RUEN?

After a few drinks in my local pub.

Now you’re a solo artist, do you see yourself still producing other artists? Why or why not?

Yeah, I think I’ll always produce music, whether it’s for myself or other artists. I enjoy the process and it feels pretty fulfilling bringing artists’ musical visions to life.

Explain your production process.

It varies for different artists and depends on the type of song you’re producing. RUEN tracks started as demo’s which I later went back to. With Bad Behaviour I kept in a lot of the demo ideas and most of the lead vocals were the demo take.

It certainly takes longer producing your own music; I find myself having to have time away, then go back with fresh ears

where I’ll be like ‘yeahhh that idea doesn’t work’ or ‘that’s great as it is’ It’s a very time-consuming process.

What do you see as the advantages of being both a producer and a musician? Are there any disadvantages?

The main advantage I guess is being able to hear in your head how you want your track to sound and then being able to create it. Being able to hear the drum parts, what you want the bass to do, what effects would work where etc. For me, the disadvantage is that you can get lost sometimes in the production and either add too much or not have enough.

Explain how you got interested in sound engineering and how it led to becoming a producer.

I’ve always had an interest in engineering. When I was little my mum used to take me to her gigs where I’d spend most of the time hanging by the sound desk annoying the engineer by asking ‘..and what does that button do? And that one? And that one?’ I studied music tech at college and spent all my spare time in the studio there, just playing about and experimenting. I really loved the hands-on approach of how you could capture and manipulate sound. After college, I borrowed a little digital 8 track from a friend and started recording songs I had written.

I loved how I could layer up parts and add effects and it was from there I guess where I became hooked on production.

Do you think there aren’t enough women producers? Why or why not?

I think there are lots of female producers that are perhaps not being acknowledged as much as they should. There are a few out there at the moment like Catherine Marks, that are bossing it, which is great to see. It would be nice to see a great deal more.

You mentioned in an interview you’d like to get more recognition as a producer. How do you think women producers can achieve this?

That’s a hard question to answer. Male or female, trying to get recognition in such a competitive industry can be challenging. I think you just have to be good at what you’re doing or doing something that’s a little different.

It always feels a little sad to me that women producers have to gender-fi themselves to raise their profiles (We don’t call men male producers)

When and why did you learn to play the drums? What drew you to them?

I remember being bored one day as a child, it was raining outside and I was looking for something to do. I randomly picked up some of my mum’s cake tins and started hitting them along with some music. I thought to myself ‘this is fun!’ and kept doing it. After ruining my mum’s cake tins (which she wasn’t happy about) she brought home a drum kit for me as a surprise and that was that I was hooked.

You briefly studied to be a session drummer but after your first year, you decided it was not what you wanted to do. What didn’t you like about being one?

I went to a few auditions and tried to find work but kept getting the same response ‘your a great player, but you don’t have enough experience’ It felt pretty disheartening, how are you meant to get experience if no one will give you it?! It felt like a catch 22 and I eventually gave up and decided to go into production.

What would be your dream collaboration as an artist?

Karen O from Yeah yeah yeahs – she is fierce, I love her.

How do you think women artists in indie music can be supported?

I think by supporting each other in what we all do.

I always try and reach out to other females producers, mix engineers, and session players.

I think also some more female-fronted acts at the bigger festivals would help as a lot of festivals seem to be male-heavy.

What advice would you give to women who are interested in becoming a producer and/or a solo artist or musician?

To go out there and just do it. If you want to be a producer – go hang out in a studio or find a producer to hang out with. Get some software on your computer and ask if you can record your friend’s band. If you want to be an artist go to open mic’s, go to gigs and ask other artists if you can support them, but most importantly to keep writing – it’s all about the music.

What is your 5-year plan? Do you see yourself more active as an artist/performer, or as a producer/engineer?

In 5 years I’d have loved to release an album. I’m really enjoying the writing process and I think an album’s worth of material will appear over the next year or so.

I love producing and being an artist so if I ended up doing one more than the other I wouldn’t mind.

What are your tour plans for 2018?

There will be a few shows over the summer. I’ll be at The Finsbury in London on 3rd July. I think I’ve like to plan a little European tour for next year, even though I know that’s pretty ambitious.

What other projects do you have planned for 2018?

I’m going to be doing some more co-writing and have a couple of artists I’ll be producing. I’ll also be writing and recording some more of my stuff and aim to release some more music early next year.

Thank you, Ruen, for the opportunity to interview you.

You can follow Ruen on Social Media:

Twitter: @iamruen

Instagram: iamruen

Listen to her music on:

Soundcloud: iamruen

Spotify