Ally Evenson Is Still Scary In New Single “Phetamines”
Photo via Ally Evenson.
Where one chapter ends, another one begins, and for indie rockstar Ally Evenson, the old chapter is ripped apart at the seams and woven back together with sharp metal wires. Just last year, she released her debut album, BLUE SUPER LOVE, where she grappled with weighty questions and inflated feelings atop venomous melodies that chewed at your brain for days after. She’s put the blue knitted beanie to rest for now, with her July release “The Line” teasing a new era. Her latest single “Phetamines” drowns us deeper into the singer-songwriter’s cunning mind–one of quick wit and riveting textures that keeps listeners on their toes.
Written with Morgan Nagler and nydge, Evenson leans into unexplored territory without compromising her signature sound. “Money machine / And I give it everything everything everything everything / A silent scream / Nobody hears anything anything anything,” she croons in the opening lines through gritted teeth and warbling guitar chords. She’s on edge, and she makes sure you feel it right off the bat.
Right before the minute mark, a jumble of distorted guitars comes crashing down, followed by a numbing chorus: “You can’t see the cut / But it bleeds it bleeds it bleeds / It’s a devil deal / You can hardly feel / But it needs it needs it needs.” Comparable to controlled chaos, each electric riff and key change feels both spontaneous and skillfully crafted.
Evenson’s brilliance lies in the unexpected sonic twists and turns, but she remains in the driver's seat, evoking the exact emotional response she wants to convey. “Stuck in a rat race / And taking amphetamines, phetamines, phetamines,” she grumbles in the second verse, and it feels like we’re being dunked underwater over, and over, and over. There’s a circularity in her refrains that coincides with the monotonous key of the song, but never to a point where it feels one-dimensional. Her raspy vocals are the icing on the cake, dragging across the track with eerie, cryptic hunger. It’s no wonder she’s deemed herself a “scary little songwriter.”
The single arrives with a new music video that feels like a fever dream. Directed by Antony Muse, Evenson remains equally at her best in front of the camera as she is behind the mic. Decked out in a cherry red race suit to match her new hair, she’s seen speeding down the road, amped up by the very source that leads to her demise.
Despite its angsty lyrical bleeds, a sense of reprieve is always found in her music. In this case, it’s in a cathartic flurry of distorted guitars buried under haunting vocals.
We can tell there’s more up her sleeve, and we’re more than ready to welcome a new chapter. In the meantime, you can listen to “Phetamines,” which is now streaming on all platforms.
