When New York-based singer, songwriter, and producer Evan Kreutz started making music as a solo artist, he’d already been performing for years. And so far, he’s had a musical journey marked by versatility. With tracks like “last call” and “Dandelion”, he’s forged a sound that melds pop, indie, and alt-rock; writing lyrics tackling the complexities of love and loss. “She’s going with the wind now,” he sings on the latter. “In the moment she was mine, she’s already taken flight.” Despite his pop-rock leanings, he’s hesitant to place his music in any strict genre boxes, especially since he counts My Chemical Romance, Green Day, J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar as some of his earliest influences.
But his first sonic pit stop was as part of a band he formed with his siblings, performing AC/DC and Pink Floyd covers locally. “My dad was managing, and he’d make us have practice every Sunday,” he explained. “But when we got to high school, we eventually broke up.”
From there, Evan started making music on his own; at first inspired by his heavy hip hop influences. “It started with rap, J. Cole, Kendrick, Kanye were everything to me in high school,” he explained, adding that he was mainly focused on production but struggled with letting his melodic voice shine. Over time, he’d blend all of those early inspirations together to shift towards his current sound.
For Kreutz, his creative process is all-encompassing, with a healthy dose of synesthesia in the mix. “I associate colors with songs,” he explains, adding that his last single “last call” is “very much electric blue and purple,” while some of the music set to drop later this year are “red, orange, and yellow, and just happy, good vibes.” And with that as a starting point, his instincts as a producer take the lead. “I’m one of those weirdos, I’m analyzing the melodies and harmonies,” he explained. “And then sometimes I think of a place the song would fit, like a dreamy Pacific Coastal Highway drive or something.”
It’s a process that’s deeply rooted in authenticity, something Kreutz has worked to reclaim. “I don’t try to be something I’m not. I did that when I was doing Vine,” he explained. Kreutz gained an early following on TikTok’s 2010s precursor, posting covers filmed at his piano. He’d amassed 70,000 followers before deleting it altogether. “I didn’t want to keep up in that cycle. It’s really about being authentic, and if I’m not enjoying it, why am I doing it?”
On other digital platforms like BandLab and ReverbNation, Kreutz says he’s imbued with a sense of creative freedom and flexibility. “On social media, you’re catching people who are just mindlessly scrolling. What I think I like about BandLab is how everybody on that platform is really there for the music,” he explains. “I feel super free to post whatever weird audiovisual ideas come to me because that’s my favorite stuff to make.”
After releasing a stream of singles, Kreutz says an EP is on the way in the fall. Its next single, “ode to an ex,” is slated to drop this Friday. “It’s raw, regretful, and tender-all the things left unsaid between two people who can’t stop hurting each other,” he explained about the track.
In the future, Kreutz hopes to continue carving out a lane for himself, guided by his creative approach above everything else. “Some of the gigs I’ve had just in the past, I’ve been, like, at art studios or outdoor events, so [in 5 years] I’ll be producing not just concerts, but experiences,” he explains. “My ultimate goal is to be a modern Steely Dan. Chill vibes, driving, windows-down music.”
