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Behind the Scenes: EVV rocks out on ‘Dead to Me’

by Maddie Schwappach

March 12, 2021

With vibrant blue and red tinted shots, driving guitars, and an intense chorus, EVV’s debut music video at as a solo artist, "Dead to Me," is explosive. The inspiration for the aesthetics of the video came from the raw emotions captured within the song itself.

"I wanted to show the contrast between the anger and sadness that go hand in hand when a relationship ends," EVV said. "The red lighting ties in with that anger and the blue is a symbol of the grief and sadness."

The video showcases EVV and their band rocking out in the artist's basement alongside emotive shots of EVV looking directly into the camera. Money is a reoccurring image throughout the video, with shots of EVV fanning themself with a handful of cash juxtaposed against vulnerable shots in a bathtub of flowers.

"The money imagery comes from a line in the chorus, 'Bitch you ain't in debt to me,'" EVV said. "Money is often associated with power, and I wanted to incorporate it in the video to symbolize some of those concepts in the song."

"Dead to Me" is the final track on EVV's debut EP, Homebodywhich was released in December of 2020. The project clocks in at a snappy nine minutes and its three tracks demonstrate EVV's dexterity as an artist, opening with the slow burning "He Said, No More" and closing with the lively powerhouse "Dead to Me." The song was written as a reaction to a tense work environment but its universal themes of anger and exploitation can be applied to a variety of situations.

"'Dead to Me' changes meaning depending on how I'm feeling that day," EVV said. "But I originally wrote it about some unfriendly bosses I had. I remember sitting at work and being so upset I felt like I had to channel the energy into writing."

The video was entirely self produced, with EVV working alongside their roommate Emily Schoonover to capture the scenes. In a previous "Behind the Scenes" post, we featured a video from Schoonover's band, Bugsy, which EVV helped shoot. The symbiotic creative relationship between the roommates has been especially crucial during a time when social distancing can put roadblocks in the way of collaboration.

"Our projects are pretty intertwined. Alex and Shannon, who are in Bugsy, play in my band as well," EVV said. "It's been really inspiring to be surrounded by people who make music from different genres. We're always sharing mixes and bouncing ideas off each other."

EVV is also a part of the band Allergen and they've been making music in various capacities since age eleven.

"I started by playing viola in my school orchestra and from there I became interested in instruments, especially strings," EVV said. "I begged my mom for a guitar and eventually she ordered a cheap one for me off eBay. Later I went to She Rock She Rock, a women and LGBT+ focused music program, and picked up bass and drums."

Just a couple months after the release of Homebody, EVV is already writing and making plans to record new projects. As the melted snow has been rushing to the gutters and the sunlight has returned to the Twin Cities, EVV has found that the changing of the season has kickstarted their inspiration.

"Something I realized this spring was that you can hear music coming from people's car windows again," EVV said. "It's super refreshing to be able to go for walks and find inspiration in something as random a stranger's music taste."

Clean Water Land & Legacy Amendment
This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.