Creating a journey through sounds and words is at the centre of Evie Asio’s musical world. In the same way that every good story cannot be fully digested in one read, she draws on decades of genres and artistic influences to evoke something that is multi-layered and complex in feeling.
Evie Asio will release her alternative soul and jazz track ‘Love is Low’ on November 18, 2022 along with her brand-new album, Contending and Contention. The lead single ‘Love is Low’ is a reflection of what she wanted the accompanying album to be. On first listen, it’s a summery vibe with an attractive production of live drums, bass, electronic keyboards, guitar, synths, and lots of layered vocals. The instrumentation draws inspiration from legends like Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder, and she wanted to stay true to that live band feel. However, the synths and effects reflect something by Tom Misch or Hiatus Kaiyote. The song has a darkness that isn’t quite reflected in the lyrics.
It’s a love song about a bad relationship, and she wrote it at one of her lowest points. As hopeful as the lyrics seem to be, hindsight allowed her to add in these surrealist elements that hint to the song’s escapist reality. She has never taken drugs, but when she produced ‘Love is Low’, she thought about what it must be like to enjoy something in the moment that is lowkey destroying you. That is what the song is about, and it truly showcases Evie Asio’s musical abilities.
‘Love is Low’ is inspired by live soul and surrealism. The lyrics of the song talk about the resilience of love, while the music points towards how this can easily reflect a dreamlike naivety. Evie Asio
Contending & Contention, is a nine-track concept album about her personal journey with identity, faith, and relationships. She calls the album ‘the work of my twenties’, as the songs were written between 2017 and 2019, and created between 2019 and 2022, in one of the most defining periods of her life. Each song tells a different story, but the thing that ties them all together is Evie Asio; her behaviour, strengths, toxic traits that all lead to it being this greater picture of her overcoming herself.
She spent four years producing the album across five studios and her bedroom. She worked with a range of studio musicians and her co-producer Mikaiyiri, to create a different sonic world for each song that crosses analogue and digital sounds. For this reason, it is a love letter to all of the musical genres Evie Asio grew up with and has been inspired by.
Photo Credit: Genesis Adewole
Track List
In the Middle Available From Here Pendulum Love is Low Turning Time Heaven Minded Imperfect People About Evie Asio
ABOUT EVIE:
Evie Asio grew up in South-East London, where she used the range of musical styles around her to begin writing songs. After graduating with a BA in music, she began her musical career through releasing a series of experimental projects, including her Conclusion EP (2015 via SoundCloud), and her Songs From Home YouTube series. She has notably performed at venues such as The Spice of Life, Proud Camden, and the O2 Academy.
After taking time to develop her craft, Evie Asio released her debut single ‘Beautiful Love’ in 2019; the jazz tale features a lyrical balance between the reality of living in a painful world and belief in hope for the future. The song was featured on 7gospeltracks, the AStepFWD September 2019 chart, and led her to be named a 2020 One to Watch by Premier Gospel. Evie Asio's next two singles received international radioplay, with ‘Available’ being named as China Moses’ ‘Late Night Track of the Week’ on Jazz FM. Her second single ‘Turning Time’ was featured on BBC6 Music. Contending and Contention, is due to be released on November 18th, alongside her brand-new single ‘Love is Low’.