Good Intentions by EVVI

Long-time followers know this EP never really existed — but I did release a few songs from it a couple of summers ago. You see, at some point I decided to try the go-to strategy a lot of musicians use: releasing singles as often as possible. I figured I could upload one song a month without burning out.

Week one: writing, recording, and arranging.
Week two: editing, mixing, and mastering.
Week three: shooting and editing a video.
Week four: cover art, photoshoots, and preparing the song for streaming services.

I lasted three songs and ended up hating the whole process of releasing singles with all my heart😌

First of all, coming up with a brand-new song every month wasn’t easy for me. Turns out, I prefer working with a group of songs that share a common theme or mood. Releasing just one track felt like telling an unfinished story.

Second, those strict monthly deadlines did more harm than good. I know some people thrive under time pressure — but I’m not one of them. I’m actually very disciplined — maybe too much sometimes — unlike my voice, which tends to act up. When I work on multiple songs at once, I can switch tasks easily: “Okay, today’s not a good day for vocals, let’s do arrangement, mixing, or editing instead.” But when you’re focused on just one song, that’s much harder to do.

Third, shooting videos is a pain in the ass. Musicians on a budget often shoot outdoors because it’s free, but then you’re completely dependent on the weather — and sometimes it rains for an entire week. Of course, it’s your video week.

And yeah, some people may say, “If you’re a couple of days late — or even a week — it’s really no big deal.”
Nope. Not for me, unfortunately. Even the slightest shift in the plan makes me deeply uncomfortable.

So, I wasn’t enjoying the monthly single grind at all. It felt like an endless race with no pause. Maybe some people can keep up with that pace, or maybe releasing singles feels totally natural to them. Well, lucky you! I tried it — and it’s just not my thing.

And honestly, even as a listener, I never liked it when artists released singles out of nowhere — not as part of an upcoming album or EP, just… random drops without context. I’ve always preferred albums and EPs. They feel like finished bodies of work — like stories — something meaningful.

Again, I’m not saying singles aren’t meaningful. It’s just not my favorite way to make or listen to music.

During that “one single per month” sprint, I made Chances, In Love Alone, and Dear Violet. And even though they were technically singles, deep down I knew they shared the same mood and message. For the longest time, I wanted to merge them into one cohesive release — and now that I’m in the process of remaking my whole catalog, this felt like the perfect moment to finally put them into one EP.

But there was a problem: I only had three songs. And in my world, an EP should have at least four. I didn’t have time to write something entirely new, so I decided to give an old song of mine a fresh arrangement.

That fourth track became Escape Myself — now with a new sound that fits my current style and aesthetic much better than the original.

If you want to know more about this song or any other track from the EP, check out the lyric video for Escape Myself — the description includes a detailed breakdown of the song’s meaning, the story behind it, and more. (By the way, I write these descriptions for every song I release.)

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So now we’ve got four tracks — awesome! Time to record the instruments.

Yes, I re-recorded all the guitars, bass, and drums — because I have better instruments and gear now, and I want the songs to sound as good as possible with my current skills. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough time to redo the vocals — that would’ve taken way too long.

Recording instruments sounds fun, right? I usually love that part.
But not this time. He-he😈

Just so you know — even though I work from a home studio, my gear isn’t crap. I don’t own any “luxury” equipment, but it’s not budget stuff either. Recently, I bought a bass guitar by Fender — my very first instrument from a well-known brand — and I love it.

It’s a short-scale bass (smaller than a regular one), which is great for me. Even though I’m average height, I have smaller hands, so a short-scale bass is way more comfortable to play — and it still has punch and character.

So I get ready to record: hook up the cables, launch my DAW (the software I use for recording), plug in the bass — and hear a weird noise. Now, single coils are naturally a bit noisy, but this sounded different. I turned up the volume — and heard… radio.

What the heck?!

I checked all the cables, my audio interface, the outlets. I turned off the humidifier, shut down all my RGB lights — nothing helped. So I decided to take the bass to a guitar tech. Maybe something was wrong?

To be honest, the repair guy was super nice — which was a pleasant surprise. I explained the issue: “My bass is acting like an antenna. It’s picking up radio stations.”

He plugged it into three different amps — silence. Absolute silence. A very awkward one at that point. And I swear the guy thought I might be crazy. Still, he checked the electronics and said everything looked totally fine.

I went back home, plugged in the bass again — and it worked perfectly. No radio. Just clean signal. It was already late, so I decided to continue the next day. I went to bed in a great mood, excited for tomorrow’s session.

But in the morning… the radio was back. Total disappointment. And yeah — I started thinking maybe I really was going crazy. But no — my friends heard it too. The bass was picking up radio. And it wasn’t just the bass — it turned out all of my guitars were doing the same thing.

Long story short: it took me a week to figure out what was going on. Apparently, it was all because of the construction happening near my house. There was zero interference on weekends, early mornings, and after 6 PM — so I had to squeeze all my recording sessions into those time gaps.

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But aside from that — the process of creating this EP was really enjoyable😊

EVVI is an independent pop-rock and pop-punk artist whose raw, emotional lyrics explore themes of love, loss, and self-discovery. Her music blends the angst of alternative rock with a sense of vulnerability, offering both catharsis and connection.

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