A decade after Justin Timberlake brought the SexyBack, a new Southern California band, De Verre, takes the SexyHigher with their captivating debut single, ‘Mad’. Now if there’s one thing I hate, it’s gratuitous sex in the MTV videogames. Pour some sugar over Britney, Miley, Xtina or Robin Thicke til the cows come home; it feels more calculated and manufactured than racy or provocative. That said, my inner Church Lady initially dismissed this alluring, sensual, decadent… shocking and saucy clip — until the moment I turned up the volume and fell in lust and (after 20 or so viewings) mad passionate committed love with the soundtrack. Imagine Sia, Vanessa Paradis, Goldfrapp, Brazilian Girls and Lana Del Rey rolled into one sensual musical delicacy — now that’s what I call a spicy meatball!
After a long, cold shower, POPDOSE caught up with Alice Day, De Verre’s bombshell lead singer, for a little pillow talk…
For starters, where is the band from? My guesses (ranked in order): New York. London. Paris. Orlando.
ALICE DAY: No, we’re not that cool. We’re from a small town in Southern California.
De Verre is French for “glass” — Are we talking champagne? Bathroom mirror? Rear Window? Ira?
We decided on De Verre because it genuinely complements our music. When you’re in an intimate moment with someone, you feel like you are in your most vulnerable state. It’s as if that person can see right through you, like you’re made of glass.
Introduce us to the band. Who plays what? Your sound is quite cinematic, so I bet you have a fantastic origin story (please talk slowly and spare no detail).
De Verre is composed of five members, Alice (vocals), Chris (guitar), Mike (guitar), Brandon (drums and keys) and Kristina (bass). We’ve all been friends for nearly a decade. However, it wasn’t until recently that we realized we shared a common interest in music. One of our goals is to create climatic sounds that add tension. So I guess we’ve accomplished that.
When Mad’ becomes a hit, most people will probably call it the “Breathe Me In” song. Was it that sensual as a demo or did it evolve in the studio?
‘Mad’ as a demo was erotic. We wanted to intoxicate the listener with provocative thoughts. We like to make people feel a little uncomfortable. But there’s a lot that goes on in the studio too. If the mood isn’t right, then it doesn’t translate on record.
You’re working with hip/hop producer Danny Score, so will the rest of the album be aimed at the dance floor or the boudoir?
Right now, it’s all about creating a mood. We don’t try to write in a certain genre, we just write to create a vibe. I grew up listening to R&B, Slow Jams and sex music, so I guess that definitely comes through in our music and Danny gets that.
Was the hot and steamy video your idea or did director Lauren Dunn pitch it to you?
In the past year, we have really gotten to know Lauren on a personal level. We became friends before we started working together. When we were ready to film the video for ‘Mad’, we met with her and expressed our ideas. She totally got what we were going for right off the bat. That is when we knew for sure that we wanted her on board as Director. Ultimately, we all had the same vision, but she made our vision a reality.
Are these your real life lovers in the video? Band members? Central Casting?
Kristina, our bassist is the other girl in the video. She and I have been best friends for years, and when you’re that close you feel like you can push the envelope and still feel comfortable. The male is an aspiring actor.
What was the shoot like?
This was not my first shoot, but definitely the most sensual one. It was like a sexual dream, it was so intense. It was easy for me to get into character, though.
Has it sparked an interest going tandem — with a silver screen career?
I would love to endeavor in the world of acting someday, but right now I just want to focus on our music. That is who I am.
Did La Perla underwrite the video’s exquisite costume budget?
To be honest, this was not a big budget production. We didn’t hire a successful stylist; we couldn’t afford to. We just wore pieces from our own wardrobe and picked up some jewelry at a local vintage store.
You could go the Lana Del Rey route and become a fashion icon — if so, which designers or brands would you want to model in a Vogue ad spread?
I love fashion. I do not have one particular style. I love that through wardrobe you can be someone different tomorrow than you were today. But I do worship Tom Ford, Derek Lam and Stella McCartney, to name a few.
Speaking of Lana Del Rey, how is your stage show shaping up?
We’re really busy right now, but once we’re finished with our full-length, we plan to set up a string of West Coast shows.
If Mad’ is the bedroom song of the summer for the rest of us, what song gets you in the mood?
I really like High For This’ by The Weeknd. That song is fucking sexy.
How do you keep such a luscious vocal range with all that smoking? Please tell me you never inhaled and it was all CGI…
It was real smoke, but just for the video. It isn’t a habit.
Let’s talk about sex (baby). The love scenes to be exact.
- A celebration of: passion between consenting adults, gay rights and marriage equality?
- A devious way to arouse and confuse the Evangelical Right?
- The promo for a new Cinemax After Dark Original Series?
We just wanted the video to compliment the song. To us, ‘Mad’ is so stimulating, that the video needed to be to. We wanted it to be intense. It’s a dream.
So now that you’ve got us all hot and bothered, what do you do for an encore?
We’re currently working on releasing a nine song full-length with Danny Score. Also, we plan to begin production on our next music video before the end of the year.
Give ‘Mad’ a listen and download it for FREE (act now — this is a limited time offer). If you’re still aroused after four hours of continuous spins, please consult a doctor — or a DJ.
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/101906397″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]Connect with De Verre on facebook and twitter.
As a bonus, here is De Verre producer Danny Score’s quite righteous hip/hop track ‘Candles’ by Jez Dior:
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/60135380″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
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