After wrapping up an incredible year of new music and live performances, Devon Again is gliding into 2024 in Heelys with her single “still can’t dress myself.”
In the song and the accompanying video starring her cousin Isla, Devon confronts her deep-rooted self-doubt. Despite her crippling inability to make decisions, she never questioned her musical journey, which began at a very early age. Music was always her solace and provided an outlet for her sarcastic sense of humor and subtle vulnerability.
In 2021, she made the life-altering decision to release her viral hit “Suburbia,” and since then has emerged as a leading voice in alternative pop.
We chatted with Devon Again about the single, touring with Maude Latour, and what 2024 has in store for the breakout artist.
What inspired your latest single, “still can’t dress myself”?
I started the song at home in Colorado in 2021, sitting on the pullout couch in my mom’s apartment. That year, and for every year since I had moved to LA, being back in Colorado just meant I had loads and loads of time to panic about my future and loads of time to sit around and think about my failures and really just dive nice and deep into my own unhappiness. It really started as this feeling that I had nothing to say other than “oh god please let me exit my body” lol
You noted on Instagram that you even doubted putting the song out. What changed your mind?
At the time when the song was produced, it was so different from the other things I was making. The song was nearly done before even my EP was done, and everything on the EP was much more pop-leaning, so there was a part of me that thought there might not ever be a time where it made sense sonically. All it took was continuing to create, and eventually, it finally felt right.
How did the song transform from a voice memo into a full-blown single?
I met Jon (Buscema) and Jake (Weinberg) just in my past couple of years spent living in LA. This is the only song I have released that I made primarily with Jake. I brought it to him as only a voice memo; the song itself was really simple. The first day with him was a really short one. We went into it with the intention of just having fun, which resulted in Jake just like hyperspeed recording shit, and it immediately was so so cool. Day 1 it sounded nothing like anything I had ever made. It wasn’t till a couple of years later that I brought it to Jon. With Jon, we finalized the drums, which had gone through a bunch of different iterations since starting the song. I minimized the track a little, re-recorded the vocals, and made the outro.
Did the making of this song teach you anything about embracing your own self-doubt?
I think the biggest thing I got from this song was just the reminder that everyone experiences self-doubt. It’s a really isolating feeling, and there is definitely a lot of freedom in being able to talk about it and write about it and have it be received well.
If you could set fans up in the perfect environment to listen to the new single, what do you imagine it looking like?
Ohhhh. On a walk at night with headphones. Nighttime is important. Maybe a night hike? Full moon?
You recently wrapped your first tour ever with Maude LaTour. What was that experience like, and do you have any favorite memories?
1000% the most fun I have ever had. The coolest part was being able to meet and talk to fans. I get so emotional thinking about it. One of my favorite memories was in Seattle; the tracks cut out while we were covering “stupid horse” and it was so scary, but the hard auto-tune for that song was still on while I was talking so I just got to be silly, and joked with the audience for a couple minutes while Emma was trying to get the session to work again. We eventually got it working- and then it cut off again. But it was so fun because the audience was so nice, and it felt like we were all just laughing together. Emma and I left the stage feeling so giggly- and the rest of the night was so fun (I got to sign someone’s Heelys).
What are you looking forward to most in 2024?
Writing!!! A lot of music!!! I might mess around and take a dance class.
What is one quote that you have heard or that you go by that you want to ECHO out to the world?
“Put it where it goes” – my high school friends
Featured Photo Credit: Jaqueline Kulla