Ally Evenson Isn’t Slowing Down, She’s Letting the Crash Happen
By Stella Speridon-Violet
Photo Courtesy of Warner Music Group | Ally Evenson - SPEED KILLS - Album Cover Artwork
On SPEED KILLS, Ally Evenson isn’t interested in soft landings. Her sophomore album arrives drenched in impulse and contradiction. It’s campy but furious, funny but devastating, hyper-controlled yet on the verge of spinning out entirely.
“IT’S CAMP! IT’S SAD! IT’S PERVERSE! And of course… so very angry,” she says plainly, like a warning and an invitation all at once.
I got to listen to SPEED KILLS ahead of its February 20 release and speak with the artist herself; what stood out immediately was how unafraid Ally is to feel too much on this album.
The record is loud, flirtatious, self-aware, and emotionally exposed, one that thrives on whiplash. One moment it’s screaming into distortion, the next it’s laughing at itself, already three steps ahead of your expectations.
Photo Courtesy of Warner Music Group | Ally Evenson - SPEED KILLS - Press Photo
While SPEED KILLS was born out of a breakup, an embrace of queerness, and a cross-country move to Los Angeles, Evenson didn’t approach the album as a document of grief. Instead, she let her surroundings lead.
“I was genuinely… having such an awesome time in my life,” she told Gut Instinct Media.
“I was making new friends and exploring new places and exploring parts of myself that I never knew existed. The music just started to reflect that and I didn’t fight it.”
That lack of resistance is what gives the album its momentum. Songs like “Lucky Day” lean fully into camp, something Evenson admits scared her more than anger or sadness ever did.
“There were moments where I was like, ‘Wait, this song is not sad or angry, it’s just funny and I love it, but I’m scared that it’s stupid and not good,’” she says. But the joy won out. “It genuinely made me feel so good, and that’s what it’s all about, right?”
Evenson’s writing has always lived in the tension between playful and devastating, and SPEED KILLS sharpens that contrast. Some songs announce their emotional weight immediately, “Stoic,” “Crash My Car For You,” and “Cards” were always meant to hurt.
Others reveal their darkness sideways. “Backwards,” she explains, feels “trippy and silly and Massive Attack-y,” even as it chronicles the loss of self inside desire. The album doesn’t resolve that tension, it lets both sides coexist.
That duality extends to anger, a feeling that once consumed her. On her debut, BLUE SUPER LOVE, rage felt all-encompassing. Now, it’s something she can access without being overtaken by.
“I’ve done so much healing and growing within the past year and a half,” she says. “It feels so much more tolerable, and I can even channel that anger in healthy ways if necessary. For songs.”
Queerness plays a central role in that evolution. Where desire once felt desperate and unfulfilling, it now feels grounding and expansive.
“Queer desire is so comforting,” Evenson says. “And in a way more intense. It makes me want it more, but in a fulfilling way.” The album pulses with that shift: longing without self-erasure, intensity without collapse.
Visually, SPEED KILLS exists as more than a collection of songs. Evenson’s love of film pushed the project into a full cinematic universe, with interconnected music videos that ultimately became a short film.
“I tend to spiral out of control when I develop music video ideas,” she laughs. “And part of that process became, ‘Should we just make it into a short film?’ So we did.” That visual world will premiere in Los Angeles at Brain Dead Studios on February 19, reinforcing how inseparable sound and image are in this era of her work.
That intimacy is mirrored in her live performances. Fans don’t just listen to Evenson’s songs; they assign them to moments. They cry, scream, and confess. For her, that connection is the point.
“Knowing I can connect with fans or audience members makes it all worth it,” she says.
Despite being labeled an artist to watch, Evenson’s definition of success is refreshingly grounded.
“Success is being able to do what I love, make art and tour, and have it pay the bills.” There’s no grand myth-making here, just momentum and clarity.
And when asked what she hopes comes after the rush of SPEED KILLS, her answer is simple: “Clarity.”
Still, the album isn’t pretending to be well-behaved. If SPEED KILLS had a bad habit, Evenson says, it would be “trying to control every situation.” And if it showed up to a party? “She’d be getting blackout drunk, flirting with everyone, and avoiding her ex.”
Which feels about right. SPEED KILLS doesn’t slow down to explain itself, and it doesn’t want to. It’s an album that trusts instinct, embraces excess, and understands that sometimes the most honest thing you can do is let the crash happen.
Ally Evenson’s SPEED KILLS is out now.
