Where Does the Devil Hide is the fourth EP by American singer and songwriter Zella Day, released on August 28, 2020. Preceded by four singles including "My Game" and "Only a Dream", the visual EP was produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. The record marks Day's first release under joint record deal with Concord Records and Easy Eye Sound.
The music videos for the EP were directed by Neil Krug, Phillip Lopez, Saamuel Richard and Gianennio Salucci. Krug also shot cover artwork for each song on the EP.
Background and development
After releasing her debut major label album, Kicker (2015), under Hollywood Records, Day eventually split ways with the label in 2017. She then released the double-single "Man on the Moon / Hunnie Pie" (2018) under B3SCI, with the intention for the song to be the lead single off her unreleased third studio album. While on tour, Day debuted several songs such as "Gypsy Girl". Day eventually parted ways with B3SCI and signed a new deal with Easy Eye Sound and Concord Records to begin recording new material.
In an interview, Day stated that after leaving her labels she had "moved into a new apartment with [her] sister in Beachwood... [and] allowed [herself] to not feel pressured to write when [she] was hurting on the inside," adding how "there was a lot of betrayal that I was feeling. I was presenting these songs that I was in love with and they were being rejected. It was just kind of this wakeup call that I had to act now."
Recording
During the summer of 2019, Day wrote several songs over a four-day period that would end up becoming her EP, Where Does the Devil Hide. Produced by The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach, the EP features five songs. On working with Day, Auerbach said "Working with Zella at Easy Eye came as a creative partnership in so many ways. She’s such a free thinker. These songs showcase her in a way that is honest and self-realized." The song "People Are Strangers" was debuted live by Day as part of her opening set for Lana Del Rey in Santa Barbara.
Visuals
American photographer Neil Krug had assisted Day with her visuals for the songs on the EP, while also directing two videos for the EP with "People Are Strangers" and "Purple Haze". Phillip Lopez directed the follow-up video for "My Game" and co-directed "Only A Dream" with Gianennio Salucci. "Benny My Dear" has been the only song to not have a video so far, though a lyric video was released.
Promotion and release
Prior to the release of the first single off the EP, Day debuted her cover of "You Sexy Thing" and premiered an accompanying video for it in September 2019. After announcing the EP, Day released "People Are Strangers" as the first single in April. This was followed by the release of "My Game" in May and "Purple Haze" and "Only a Dream" in July.
Day had only been able to promote the album with one performance due to the restrictions put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Day performed "People Are Strangers" and "My Game" independently, without a crowd, as a part of a 360° livestream series in partnership with MelodyVR.
In an interview promoting the EP with Schön! magazine, Day announced that she had a full-length album coming as a follow-up to the EP.
Singles
"People Are Strangers", the EP's first single, was released on April 23, 2020. In a press release for the song, Day stated "I began writing "People are Strangers" on the bathroom floor after a night of learning an ugly truth about my lover. I brought the idea to Nashville where Dan Auerbach and I finished the song by taking a dark subject matter and approaching it with simplicity. There is sweetness to the lyrics and melodies of "People are Strangers" that is meant to inspire empathy towards the ones that have hurt us." Northern Transitions called the song a "vulnerable ballad, sun-soaked and possessing the aura of classic California" while Anna Milo Devine of Noise Trend praised the song as "a sonic nod to the sounds and ideas of "quintessential California", but refreshed with modern honesty." The song is dream pop, influenced by surf rock and soft rock.
The second single, "My Game", is a pop funk and nu-disco track. Written by Day, Auerbach, and Bobby Wood, the song is an upbeat anthem that serves as an homage to classic '70s film scores and Donna Summer. American Songwriter called the song "sexy psychedelic and cinematic romp that would have made for the perfect 007 theme song".