An Interview with Dev Lemons: Art & Ourselves

A fan of nostalgia and the uncanny, sing-songwriter Dev Lemons creates a surreal setting for her debut album, SURFACE TENSION. Released on August 1st, this album is a culmination of Dev’s work so far as a musician and content creator. It’s eccentric, intense, and mesmerizing. We got the chance to ask Dev some questions about her work and the creative process behind this project. Through this discussion, we’ve learned that no matter what stage of your creative journey you’re at, your art will always be a representation of you and all you’ve been before.

SURFACE TENSION album cover photographed by AJ Incammicia

Dev Lemons (Devon Vonder Schmalz) was born on March 12th, 1999, in Pennsylvania. She studied comedy writing for television at Emerson College and went on to intern at Nickelodeon and Comedy Central. As she built her online presence, she began producing videos for @Songpsych, where she discussed music theory for Gen Z audiences. Her most recent collaboration is co-hosting Lorem Life, one of Spotify’s largest editorial talk shows.

Although many people have been following Dev Lemons from Songpsych or other YouTube channels, she stood out to us from her “scary short films” on TikTok. They resemble a point-and-click video game style, mixing humor and strange situations for viewers. The style seemed really immersive and unique, and we just had to know what the creative inspiration behind these videos was.

Dev recounted growing up playing “a shit ton of videogames.” In college, many of her friends were gamers, and they’d play decision-based games such as Doki Doki Literature Club! (2017). Additionally, she credits being a huge Pilotredsun fan, loving unsettling and weird content in general.

It wasn’t surprising to hear so many names from the older internet era since they all hold a familiar, uncanny vibe. However, it was interesting to see how all these influences bled into other aspects of Dev Lemons’ projects. I think everyone can look back at the media they've consumed before and see similarities with what they create. Additionally, Dev mentioned another creator whom she gets compared to, Molly Moon, who shares the same 64-bit video game style. Having both grown up in the same generation, it’s fascinating to see how matching experiences can deeply impact someone's artistic intuition and creative interests.

Dev attributed her specific editing style to YouTube vlogs she would record and edit. She said, “Sometimes I would just scrub the footage and hypnotize myself with just scrubbing random shots back and forth. Eventually, I figured out how to replicate that effect and actually put in a video.” 

Through these videos, she has promoted her song “NICE TRY,” which eventually led up to her album debut. Since then, NICE TRY has easily become our favorite track, mixing catchy lyrics with fast-paced electronic melodies. We asked her to elaborate more on the story behind this work and how it ties into her album as a whole.

She mentioned that it was the first song they made for the album. As she quotes, “The original concept for the album was a series of just banger cunty songs about how all the boys want me but I don't want them. But ‘allllll the boys are lining up for meee,’ and that sort of energy. But the visual creative was that I would look super disheveled and just like a wreck.”

However, the song’s symbolism in the album morphed to represent the excessive overcompensating confidence that can come after a really hard breakup. Dev described it as “trying to put yourself out there to reclaim your individuality and feel appealing and lovable.” In a way, you “regain” that power in a time of your life where it's easy to fall into depression and insecurity. 

On the topic of visual concepts, we found the production and stylistic choices of the album’s music videos intriguing as well. The unique costumes and liminal spaces evoke a dream-like state in the viewer, very expressive and unpredictable. Two particular music videos that stood out to us were “FACE” and “STUCK AGAIN.” We asked Dev how this visual style ties into her music and its themes.

She affirmed that she’d always been drawn to the “uncanny valley” aesthetic. She works to channel that uneasiness into every piece of art she makes. As for her sound, she admitted that, comparatively, her music genre leans more towards pop. However, there is still an underlying unsettling feeling throughout her album. She aims to bury that discomfort more subtly in her music compared to the boldness of her usual content, allowing audiences to experience it in newer ways.

Despite taking new creative paths, it’s very obvious that Dev Lemon’s art is a clear portrayal of her essence. It goes to show how our interests and experiences slowly mold us, curating our work to be as unique as ourselves.

See the first issue of Summur Magazine on September 12th to read the FULL INTERVIEW with Dev Lemons, where we ask about her childhood passions and her advice for young creatives building their platform.