Devon – 'Life Advice'
Finding a flawless song is a nigh impossible task but this laid-back indie-pop anthem took the challenge. The electro-fusion, guitar-pop, heartfelt tune piles on layers of pop perfection.
Devon’s talent is on show in his newest single, “LIFE ADVICE” with its rainfall of arpeggios and rhythmic synths in layered syncopation all forming together to showcase why his rise to popularity, which has seen Devon ‘land on the BBC Radio 1 Playlist’, and rack up an enormous 460k monthly listeners on Spotify, has been so fast. Despite Devon’s secluded backdrop of the Forest of Dean, his self-produced songs he is able to boast a record deal with New York’s ONErpm label. Devon’s drawling vocals punctuated with riffs and synths, using effects like phaser and delay to add to the punchiness, create a colourful build up of this emotive tune. He said that this song ‘shifted [his] whole direction a bit’, and he was able to grow his appreciation ‘for pop music and all genres in general’ through working on and producing this track.
The complexity of this song is built through the rhythm but the lyrics offer some interesting analytical content too. Devon admitted that the lyrics are ‘literally just a stream of consciousness. I [Devon] remember not knowing what I was really writing about and just going with how the music made me feel”. This complete freedom to do with his music allowed him to return to the words he had written and really analyse what they were saying to him, rather than attempting to convey something within the lyrical content and letting others do the interpreting for him. In the accompanying music video, Devon’s concepts seem to be subverting normalcy. He places himself in normal, everyday places and with each shot there is something slightly odd or unexpected encompassed in it. My own interpretation of that is that through the song and the visuals he is expressing an ideal which doesn’t fit in, and doesn’t need to. It’s Devon’s world after all, he can do what he wants, perhaps he is telling us we can too.
This new track comes along with the announcement of a new tour across the UK as a part of the National Lottery’s Revive Live event. This song is one of those you can imagine being huge when played live, the booming bass thudding through the room, the crowds have definitely got a treat in store with this one.
Words by Mary Cooke
