Wielding her Gibson Epiphone guitar, a sharp tongue, and loads of female defiance, Los Angeles artist Devon Thompson has unleashed her newest single “Napoleon” out today worldwide on all digital platforms. “‘Napoleon’ is an ode to blocking toxic, soul-sucking people from your life, " Thompson told V13 Magazine. “ It’s that final straw before hexing an unrequited love. The song came together fast and hard as if it was ready to be written. The pieces of the song came together with passionate ease. The recording itself was done live, and it was an electrifying process.”
“Napoleon '' follows the fiery single “Soft Like Water,” that is the snarling sound of a young woman discovering who she is. These new songs made their live debut on an East Coast tour last month, which was followed by Thompson’s SXSW debut. At just 21, Thompson has already managed to shed the layers of early, formative high school bands, bitter bullying from former classmates, and find her sound as a devout rock musician unfettered by the musical trends. “I started playing rock music at a very young age,” says Thompon. “I sometimes sang pop songs, but I taught myself to play guitar when I was 12 because I liked rock. I’ve always played the guitar my whole life, I was never just a singer. I liked Fleetwood Mac and Blondie, and the music my parents were listening to. My mom would listen to music from the ‘80s, and that decade is one of my bigger influences, but the type of music that inspires me the most now didn’t click for a long time.” Thompson now cites artists like Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cramps, Nancy Sinatra, Lana Del Rey, My Bloody Valentine and Jack White as newer touchstones that round out her sound.
Graduating right out of high school into those long lockdown months during the pandemic, she further honed her nascent teenage sound by collaborating with producer James Salter (The Raveonettes, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club) who produced both “Napoleon” and “Soft Like Water.” Now, she’s drilled down into her strongest work as a solo star, expertly showcased in these two singles with plenty of other new material waiting in the wings.
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