Stephen EvEns – Employee Of The Month LP (HUM21), CD (HUM22), Download
Released 28th August 2020 on limited edition of 97 red and green ‘cornetto’ gatefold vinyl, black gatefold vinyl, CD and download.
‘A post-punk bovver-boy groove, heavy bass, and shrewdly astute lyrics. Stephen very kindly told us about how the song came to be,’ Harmonic Distortion
‘…big fans of the track’s head-nodding, metronomic charms, and rousing chorus,’ GIITTV
‘…packed with all the left-tilting wonk, charm and fuzz that you can expect from anything EvEns puts out!’ Raw Meat
Stephen EvEns releases new album, Employee of The Month. Self-produced and recorded at Brixton Hill Studios & Clashnarrow in Helmsdale. Out August 28 via Onomatopoeia (William D. Drake, Barringtone, Hurtling)
Employee of The Month is packed full of candour as post-punk, indie-pop troubadour Stephen EvEns unleashes his alter-ego. This beatnik, indie-punk escapade is accompanied with swooping motoric guitars, squelching effects and crackling sounds that fluctuate from the exotic, improvisational to a deadpan realism. EvEns muses on the futility and injustice of the world, all delivered with a huge wry smile and a glamorous, magical and eccentric delivery.
The album kicks-off with the single Dustbin Man focusing on key workers and the people that knit society together, with booming oscillating guitars and a post-punk disjointedness. Push Yr. Thumb builds on a massive wave of distortion, as the pendulum swings to a passionate accompaniment of off-kilter violins in this post-punk dystopian trajedy. Freak Show guests William D. Drake on piano and accentuates EvEns cabaret style as he re-collects a tale of migration to the city. The vocals fill with a melancholic timbre in a dramatic search for a positive future.
Jon Snow shares vocals with Caroline Gilchrist (Hot Sauce Pony) echoing the sound of Fun Boy Three. A sliding, sludgy drumbeat, as vocals express caution, ‘somethings lurking in the water, but you still look to the sky.’ I Hate Shop re-collects life with a major high street retailer – a glamorous critique – crashing, roaring sounds break the bleak banality of shop life. The Crystal Palace cries, ‘come and get me and take me home,’ is a beautifully crafted piece, delicate and moving.
Multi-instrumentalist and talented artist in his own right Stephen EvEns tours with his own guitar and full band line-up, or occasional casio-tone. In his alter-ego EvEns plans to even the score, reflecting on illustrations of modern day life. Employee of The Month dissembles society and takes a strong harsh look at it, as he puts it back together again. He plays The Brunswick in Brighton, Friday July 31.
The core band are: Stephen Gilchrist – Vox & Guitar / Jon Clayton – Bass & Keyboard / Bob Leith – Drums / Jimi Scandal – Bass
With the addition of: William D Drake – Piano / Jen Macro – Guitar & Backing Vox / Nick Howiantz – Bass & Backing Vox / Perry Anderson – Backing Vox / Caroline Gilchrist Backing Vox / Elizabeth Calfe – Cello / Fiona Harrison – Classical Guitar / Kate Arnold – Backing Vox / Anna Dodridge – Backing Vox / Gabi Garbutt – Backing Vox / Katie Wilson – Backing Vox / Charlotte Calfe – Trumpets
Track Listing:
1 Dustbin Man (3:54)
2 Push Yr Thumb In Yr Eye (3:43)
3 Claude (4:14)
4 Freak Show (5:13)
5 John Snow (4:04)
6 George & Kathleen (3:55)
7 I Hate Shop (I Am Shop) (4:24)
8 Career Criminal (0:57)
9 The Crystal Palace (5:39)
10 The Day I Burned My House Down (4:27)
Onomatopoeia Records 
