DARKLY DREAMING: DEVORA “OUTLAW” EP

Photo Credit Evan Webb

Imagine storm clouds gathering over the expanse of Arizona, where the Sonora meets the sky, a dark gray-blue blanket of brewing fury is moments away from being unleashed. The cold wind carries the howling and yipping of coyotes, you can feel a dark eerie presence just out of sight. The earth smells of petrichor, the air is loaded with sizzling energy and the sight of lighting warns your eardrums of the coming Thunder. Somewhere on the horizon, a plume of dust is growing, and one ton of American muscle is hurling in your direction breathing dinosaur bone and exhaling searing heat. It's running away from the dark clouds and pulling them along in its wake, who is at the wheel of this 1960's Iron relic but DEVORA?

With a fusion of modern goth-pop and outlaw country aesthetics (or Outlaw-pop, as she calls it,) DEVORA delivers a debut EP that is full-on Darkly Cinematic Americana. The Arizona Native manages to be haunting, sensual, and even a little scornful throughout all five songs in "Outlaw". The EP is remarkably restrained in a way, always keeping a tense and almost creepy atmosphere, just like when a menacing storm cloud refuses to burst and just looms over you in all of its somber glory.

"Outlaw" opens up on the pulsing EDM-like "Fist Fight" a song that is as grimy as it is Chic, almost like the underbelly of all the glitz and glam of L.A. And although this single is very catchy, it has a very subdued sound and it builds a neo-noir atmosphere (helped by the video) all the way to the end, which perfectly illustrates that building of tension I talked about before.

"Bodybag" is the continuation or perhaps the result of "Fistfight", the track raises the ante and it shows off the rock/outlaw roots more openly with a lingering guitar riff and evocations of claustrophobic prison cells where the American Spirit went to rot. The tension built with the previous track pays off when the music swells and the guitar attacks during the chorus parts of "Body Bag", however, it doesn't go all out, DEVORA refuses to fully lighten the mood or loosen her grip over the constricting atmosphere just yet. oddly though, this song also boasts some power-pop tone to it and the accompanying music video furthers that notion with interpretative choreography spliced in.

The titular "Outlaw" follows carrying the momentum of "Body Bag". it is an even more guitar-driven track (as it is fitting for anything dubbed Outlaw) and marks the middle point of the EP perfectly as it fuses both sides of her sound into a perfect high point. "Outlaw" is full of clever and evocative wordplay toying with gun-slinging Americana, like when DEVORA summons "Jesse James up in flames..." and  I couldn't help but smile at this love letter to The Highwaymen.

"Not Dead Yet" Is my favorite track of the lot, and I knew it from the moment I heard the stoner-rock riff and the relentless thumping beat. it's a high-speed chase of a track full of adrenaline and post-rock, high-wire rebel energy. As electrifying as "Outlaw" was, it pales when compared to "Not Dead Yet," a song that in my opinion, manifests all of the best musical assets that DEVORA dominates.

"Elvis" is in this EP, because of course, he is, the king could not go unmentioned somehow and I'm glad it is both the final and the most different song of all. It's closer to a Sheryl Crow alt-rock ballad than it is to the sound we came to appreciate so far in the EP, but I'm happy that is the case because it shows what DEVORA is capable of, letting the rest of the songs breathe in while this hazy and moody motel piece soothes the ear. This is the morning after the sex, the drugs, and the shoot-out. This is when we piece together what led us to this desperado's hiding spot, smelling of bourbon nicotine, and sweat; the fitting "To be continued..." to the undying narrative of American Outlaw Romanticism that DEVORA embodies and pays homage to.

If you can't wait to catch the dark Thrills I just talked about LIVE, you can mosey over to the Mercury Lounge in NYC on September 8th, or Madame Siam in Los Angeles on September 16th. I'm sure spurs and cowboy hats are optional but do bring 'em if you got 'em, so it gets more surrealistic and western up in that joint. You can also check in on the Soda Bar in San Diego, where she will be opening for Dear Boy on the 22.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Venezuelan-born raised and based. 

I joined RIVAL Magazine after a few years of doing PR work for independent musicians of all stripes; understanding their struggles to be heard in a sea of constant ADHD noise and paywalled access to platforms, I now bring a willingness to always appreciate and encourage the effort and creativity that artists put into their work . You can also find some of my writings on LADYGUNN and We Found New Music.