Making Ultra with Saint Evaleen
Saint Evaleen’s soulful indie-pop music sends out nostalgic west coast vibes, with her high energy beats and honest, charming lyrics. Her songs capture a breezy, California haze with a dash of lo-fi and vintage influences.
Mary Ives and Spencer Alfonso discuss the creative process behind Saint Evaleen’s album, Ultra.
How would you describe the music and lyrics of Saint Evaleen:
MI: Lyrically, Saint Evaleen explore themes of: falling in love, falling out of love, feeling like you wanna be a hero to somebody. Thematically, we explore those moments when you want to live your life without worrying about the consequences. It's real life, but framed in a fun way, it's a dichotomy. It reminds me of Death Cab For Cutie’s Ben Gibbard. He’ll write songs that melodically are “happy” songs but when you really listen to his lyrics they are telling you, "there's no sunlight."
SA: I’m heavily inspired by Mary’s voice. We try to come up with different vocal approaches as we’re writing. This usually leads us towards finding the right lyrics and melodies. Once Mary records her vocals and sends them to me, I have a completely fresh take on the music. I think of Saint Evaleen as existing between the space of indie-pop and alternative. I really like pushing the sound towards the outer edges of those genres while still honoring the pop hooks and melodies.
What track stands out as your favorite song on Ultra?
MI: Definitely, “Goodpart.” That one just feels like a really good song. As writers, when you're working on an album, the writing process can be a struggle, and you hope you like the finished product. Songs like “Goodpart” are the ones you're glad came together, it was easy to do. There's magic.
Another favorite song to work through lyrically was, "Salty." Because, we had so much fun writing it. The lyrics are so ridiculous. We started playing around with the realm of pop culture references with this album. In “Salty” we reference Alanis Morissette, Creed, and Radiohead. We were pulling a lot more from our own lives as opposed to thinking solely about the character of Saint Evaleen. I love that one of our processes is simply writing a bunch of gibberish, and finding cool stuff inside of those lines. Favorite song: “Goodpart”, Favorite writing process: “Salty”.
SA: “Salty.” Lately I’ve been obsessed with the 90’s-00’s alternative rock. I love the intersection of the emergence of Pro Tools while still employing the use of analog gear. There’s a really special sound with bands like: Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Can’t Stop”, Radiohead’s In Rainbows, Weezer’s “Hash Pipe”, and Pearl Jam’s Vitalogy. Those melodic hooks are so captivating, and the production stays out of the way of the chemistry of the musicians. But, the production is still supporting the song and elevating it in a pop sense. We took little morsels of those production techniques and applied them to “Salty”. I initially recorded the guitar parts directly through a Vintech 473 pre-amp. But the lyrics evolved, and Mary’s vocal take inspired me to build a bit more space around the vocal. So, Mo and I began recording live guitar through an amp. It’s those little things that make a song come alive. We are so “in the box” (utilizing Logic and a few analog pre-amps) that I’ve found listening to these types of rock bands really helps me think “outside of the box.” I love the simplicity of modern production, but sometimes I miss that performance element. “Salty” felt like a bit of nod to the sound and feel of a band. I love picturing a band practicing these songs in a garage.
Mary Ives photographed by Jiyan Zandi in San Diego, CA.
“The divine feminine came out when Rosalía came on.”
Tell us about your experience working with photographer Glara Jiyan (Jiyan Zandi)?
MI:I just loved how welcoming and encouraging Jiyan was, we started off by getting to know each other. Photos are awkward no matter who you are working with, even if it's someone you've known for a long time. She never made me feel awkward. She made music a big part of when we were shooting. She asked me, “What songs do you feel are powerful? What do you want to listen to?” At that moment I’m like “Do I listen to any music at all?” When you're on the spot you can't think of anything. We listened to Alt-J. We started talking about other music, I asked her if she listened to Rosalía - Jiyan also loves her. Once we changed the music from Alt-J to Rosalía, the whole vibe changed. The music made me more comfortable. Jiyan said, “The divine feminine came out when Rosalía came on.” That was a good memory. That made me feel good. As she was taking the photos she told me, "I can tell through my lens right now that you feel more comfortable and powerful, so let's stay on this train." What I love about her process is she's not just hitting all the production elements, she's actually looking at me, and in that moment she saw that something changed. It was eye opening for me, I've never noticed that with a photographer in that way.
SA: I love bringing people together. The one great element of social media is you can discover and meet more creatives, artists, producers. I remember in 2014 sitting at my computer while also scrolling through Instagram and thinking, “Is this all that an iPhone can do? It seems like I am massively underutilizing the power of a smart phone.” When I moved to Downtown Los Angeles I discovered that I live in a creative hub, and so many talented people are everywhere. This year I was scrolling through Instagram and Jiyan came up on my explore page, I recognized a product she was shooting, and checked out her Instagram page. We set up a phone meeting, and Mo and I could just tell on the phone that she was the real deal. We sent her Saint Evaleen’s new record, and introduced her to Mary. Together they produced incredible images, and I finally feel like: “Maybe I’m starting to get better at utilizing the internet for real life human connection.”
Mary Ives in the studio recording her debut solo album I’m Sorry. Photographer: Spencer Riley Alfonso
Do you recommend artists work year round on multiple projects?
MI: Yes and no. I feel like if you're constantly working, then you have a better understanding of your personal process. It's like a muscle you have to exercise. If you take time off then you let those muscles atrophy. It's a flow. Even today, writing with Pearl Botts, I told her I need to get back into the flow of co-writing. It feels good to be in the flow. If you can muster the ability to be that creatively present, go for it. But you have to take breaks if you're feeling fatigued, you have to listen to your body. When working on my solo record, I’m being myself. And then the Saint Evaleen project feels like jumping into a character; that process is really refreshing.
When I write my own music I attach my whole identity to that process but when I am writing for and singing for Saint Evaleen I'm not just me. These songs are not necessarily my stories, conceptually they are based off of other things, so it's not me. There's more freedom to be whoever you want to be when you are approaching writing and singing as a character. Finishing the solo record and going straight into collaborating with Spencer and Mo on Saint Evaleen, it felt good to not care so much about my identity in the music. On a collaborative project like this, I’m not asking myself "Does this represent my identity?" I don't care, I just want to party and hangout with my friends.
Which artist inspires Saint Evaleen’s pop sensibilities?
MI: Remi Wolf. I love how casual Remi Wolf is with her lyricism. It comes across like she doesn't care what people think. It makes you want to learn more about her. She's obviously really talented, it's kind of like a stream of consciousness, the message still comes through. She wants to have fun, while also talking about her struggles.
Lana Del Rey is so iconic, she reminds me a lot of Remi Wolf, not in sound and music, but it's the same vibe where she writes super honestly while also playing characters. They both portray a certain part of themselves, or person. In a way that makes you want to learn the whole story. I want to know who this particular sad girl is. "Being a mistress on the side" - she's not somebody's mistress, but maybe she felt like that. She plays a character but it's based on real life. Her songwriting and storytelling can always trace the threads of what's really her. She's really authentic and honest in the vein of her character.
Name a timeless song that still means something to you.
MI: “Dreams”. It's Fleetwood Mac’s comeback and a classic 70’s song, but it still resonates with young people. To the Tik Tok generation the imagery is associated with Nathan Apodaca’s viral video of him skateboarding to “Dreams” while drinking straight from a bottle of cranberry juice. I think the subconscious reason why it became so viral is it's about heartbreak and loss. I love the imagery of the lyrics juxtaposed with this guy who was vibing.
SA: For me I’ve been obsessed with so many back catalog songs. I love discovering new music, but I like to settle in a bit before I dive in. Great music is always great. “Dreams” is a great example, I am a huge Stevie Nicks fan. When I saw that Mary was into that song, I got really excited. There’s something haunting, and timeless about Stevie’s voice. I also love the danger of her lyrics. I am always trying to find ways to incorporate that breezy honesty. The words fall out of the melody effortlessly, but they hit hard. Whenever we write for Saint Evaleen we are always trying to learn from the greatest vocalists out there, and Stevie’s vocal style is one I always go back to when I’m listening for inspiration.
Ultra by Saint Evaleen is now streaming everywhere.
Spotify Playlist - Ultra: Mixtape | Artwork by Monako Davis.