L.A. Musician Mom Evalyn Shares Emotive New Album Inspired by Pregnancy

Evalyn, a Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter crafts emotionally rich, electronic pop-rock songs that draw inspiration from multiple eras — from the post-disco early ‘80s to the emo-rock 2010s. The connective tissue is in the music’s emotional catharsis, drawn from real-life experiences.

Written and recorded almost entirely during her first pregnancy, Evalyn’s latest album, A Quiet Life, reflects physical and psychological chaos of transformation — and impending motherhood.

“When I was pregnant, I felt really nauseous and anxious and would listen to intense music as a kind of catharsis,” Evalyn tells Rockmommy.

Some initial favorites from the album include the turbulent, distorted-guitar-drenched “PlayStation?” and the title track, “A Quiet Life,” a moody, mid-tempo techno ballad that breaks out into a pointed refrain, taking her voice from sweet to angsty in unexpected turns. I also love “Boys Girls,” a summery club tune which gives off Charli XCX Brat electro-pop vibes.

We recently caught up with Evalyn, now a new mom to a baby boy, to learn more.

Rockmommy: Congrats on the new album! Your music takes me back to my pre-mommy clubbing days. :) How did you find your sound, and your unique voice? Did you have particular inspirations? 

Evalyn: I love that! I’m committed to the idea that moms can still club. When I was pregnant I felt really nauseous and anxious and would listen to intense music as a kind of catharsis. I listened to Aphex Twin, Arca, Crystal Castles. At home my husband was playing a lot of My Bloody Valentine. The sounds were so visceral and I brought a lot of that into the studio. 

Rockmommy: What about your upbringing? You are based in Los Angeles — who inspired you, creatively? 

Evalyn: I grew up in Chicago before moving to Colorado and then California — always headed west. We listened to a lot of music in my house and I was exposed to many different genres — everything from The Who to Wilco, Moby, [and] the Clash. I have always had an interest in music that is pushing a boundary in some way and makes you feel something. I like my music loud. 

Rockmommy: I cannot believe you recorded such an impressive album while pregnant! Can you tell us about that process? Do you think hormones made you more creative? 

Evalyn: Ahh thank you! It was my outlet! I am so grateful that I was able to get pregnant and have my baby. But it kicked my ass too — I was so nauseous and anxious and exhausted. Working on this album gave me an enormous outlet to process those feelings and capture them like lightening in a bottle. I was writing a lot of this in the first trimester, and it was my first pregnancy so I was grappling with so much uncertainty and fear. I don’t know if it was hormones or just needing to tonally match my nausea! I was also glued to my phone and bedridden a lot so the album is about that addiction to screens and escaping into the void. 

Rockmommy: You recently said that your song “The Feeling”  was created when you were six months pregnant and “crawling on the floor in heels and pink tights!” Can you tell us about the song’s mood and lyrics?

Evalyn: I actually wrote that song before I was pregnant, it is such a bright and energetic song. We shot the visuals for that as well as the rest of the album when I was 6 months pregnant. I had full body hives which is apparently something that can happen when you’re pregnant! And I was crawling on the floor, walking in heels on a moving platform and being drenched in water while fully clothed. I slept for two days afterwards, but I’ve never felt more powerful either. 

Rockmommy: Did you perform out while you were pregnant? 

Evalyn: I didn’t, but I did a lot of promo videos for my project and some collaborations. I actually shot some of our content when I was 9 months pregnant and wound up with a migraine in the hospital that night (my doctor was just being cautious). I had my baby about 2 weeks later. 

Rockmommy: Tell us a bit about your production process. How did you figure out which collaborators you wanted to work with on this record? 

Evalyn: It was very natural — I work with a lot of amazing producers and writers in LA. Everyone I worked with is someone who’s taste I deeply trust. Different collaborators would hear things I was working on and be like, ‘woah let’s do something like that,’ and that’s how a lot of the songs came together. 

Rockmommy: How are you doing with balancing your music career with mom life? 

Evalyn: I am honestly having a lot of fun with it. It’s stressful and intense to try and balance both, but it’s such a beautiful and exciting challenge. It is so nice to be back in the studio making music and at the same time feeding my baby his bottle at 7a.m. is the most perfect moment of my whole day. 

Interview by Marisa Torrieri Bloom, founder and editor of Rockmommy.