For the first time since 2015, alternative artist Zella Day released a full project of music with her new EP “Where Does The Devil Hide” on Aug. 28, 2020. Soon after the EP social media announcement back in April, the artist shared the first single with her audience. “People Are Strangers” popped up the alternative charts on Apple Music and gave fans a great taste of what was to come with the further tracks to be released later in the year.
Each track, as they became released over the course of the next four months, was accompanied by a music video, except the last track which was joined with a lyric video. The singles that were next released were as follows: “My Game,” “Purple Haze” and “Only A Dream.”
The changes Day made on this record were noticeable from the start, and the artist herself acknowledged the disco sound and aesthetic she was producing. Quite different from her rock-pop record “Kicker,” released in 2015, the fans still ate up this long-awaited project from the artist.
Here is a track by track breakdown of “Where Does The Devil Hide.”
Track One: “People Are Strangers” was the first track released from the project and gave fans a small taste of the disco influences that were to come with the rest of the record. A lully tune with a message of warning about how we never really know a person, “People Are Strangers” is a good track for something with a bit of a turned down, subtle feel, which can be seen in the music video, too.
Track Two: As the second track on the EP, “My Game,” highlights the disco-era influences of the record. The lyrics directly speaking about “disco fevers” and “magical potions” take the listener back to a time of bell-bottom jeans and disco balls. The main message of the track is boiled down to the singer telling her love interest she’s in charge now. “My Game” is a nice empowerment track that will make you dance for sure, not to mention the music video is straight out of the ’70s with bold vintage looks framing a dramatic mystery unfolding. The artist even released a game you can play, a version of Pac-Man, but with Day herself and some characters from her music video.
Track Three: “Purple Haze” is easily the dreamiest track on the EP, channeling sounds of Stevie Nicks and even an upbeat Lana Del Rey song. The lyrics on this track have the listener following as the singer dreams about a boy she likes, and the “purple haze” that’s induced when she does. The singer is waiting for her love interest to “show up” and “look her way” so she can invite him into her life. The music video for this track is not lax on the psychedelic virtues that can so often be seen in disco tracks of the past. With a matching sound, this pairing of music video and track couldn’t be better.
Track Four: “Only A Dream” is an upbeat piano-driven dance ballad, where Day recounts her dream of a lover and how “it was all too real to let go.” The singer “doesn’t care if it was only a dream, because it’s better than being alone.” This track is a very relatable one, since we all are infatuated with an interest at one point or another in life. The music video for this track features a fun, dreamy beach day— a vibe that just pulls a nice sigh/smile combo straight out of you.
Track Five: The final track on the EP is a nice closer, with a calm vibe that matches the tone of the opening track. “Benny My Dear” is a frollicky track that deals with themes of letting yourself be loved and accepting upliftment from others. All the other tracks were released before the whole EP, but this was the one track that fans had to wait a while on, and it has been well worth it with its satisfying lyric video and its older Day flare.
_Edited by Sophie Stephens | sstephens@themaneater.com_
