“I’ve never invested so much time and effort into an album,” says Venezuelan singer Lasso on the 12 tracks that make up Eva, a record marked by its luscious pop-rock hooks and the ever-present influence of ’80s anthems. “Behind every one of these songs lie five or six that were left behind,” he tells Apple Music. “If I had five ballads with a string quartet, I would choose only the very best one. I wrote a good 120 songs for this album.” Lasso’s obsessive care for layering sophisticated harmonies and textures can be heard in the synth-pop sweetness of “Plástico” and the majestic orchestral sway of “Los Hombres Son Todos Iguales.” “During the recording process, I experienced a spiritual moment on account of certain substances that I consumed,” he says with a smile. “I dreamed that Eva came to me and told me that the record should be named after herself. Her reasoning was that we’re always writing about someone, and that someone should have a name. It was a fascinating experience, and the moment I woke up, I wrote the album’s title track.” Here, Lasso guides us through the new songs, one by one. Intro “The intro is like a cross between the Dire Straits album Brothers in Arms and anything by Pink Floyd. I’m a huge Mark Knopfler fan, and I tend to play in the same style. Dire Straits has always been a big influence.” “Yo-yo” “It’s like a song by Tears for Fears or The Police—that type of open-spaced rock with the big snare downbeats. I tackled this one as an exercise, trying to write an ’80s-styled song with the expected harmonies and a huge hook. It’s one of my favorite songs to play live, especially because I open my concerts with it and people go nuts. I like to use unusual words in my songs and connect them to regular life. Yo-yo is a word that fascinates me, and I wanted to play with that sound when I sing, ‘Yo regreso a ti como un yo-yo’ [I return to you just like a yo-yo]. It’s a great hook, and it swings like a real yo-yo, too.” “DIOS” “This song is about coming to terms with things that are bigger than you. The main character introduces himself and says that he doesn’t believe in God, but every time he sees this person, it inspires him to believe in something that goes beyond normal life. The song posits that Heaven may well be the person that you’re in love with—someone you’re passionate about and who motivates you. It’s a complicated subject in Latin America—the idea of God and religion. I feel music must include and not exclude. It should connect with people. Maybe God doesn’t necessarily need to be this unreachable deity. It could be the person that you’re sharing your life with.” “Ojos Marrones” “I wanted the rhythm section to stay steady on this one, so that you can submerge yourself into a mood that remains undisturbed. You connect with everything that I’m conveying through the lyrics and my voice. I wanted to conjure up an atmosphere more than a solo or a simple performance.” “Plástico” “I think the best pop music was created in the ’80s, when there were no pretenses. During the ’70s and ’90s, the hooks were still there, but the pop element was concealed with a million textures. It’s like the artists were embarrassed to admit that their music was pop. The ’80s were just the opposite—the hooks are totally in your face, and I love that. I wanted to make a record with that same feeling, and ‘Plástico’ is obvious and commercial. It’s based on a live version of Peter Gabriel’s ‘Shaking the Tree.’ It’s a powerful song with a live-performance vibe to it.” “Clavos” “The faintly urbano beat sets it apart from the other tracks. It connects with the rest because of its nostalgic feeling, like an inert sadness. It’s also the oldest song on the album—I wrote it in 2019. We sent it to more than 20 artists for a potential collaboration, but they all declined. It’s still dear to my heart, especially on account of the guitar riff. In the end, I decided to record it by myself.” “Corriendo Con Tijeras” “A very special song, if only because it inspired the direction of the entire album. It’s based on ‘Motion Sickness’ by Phoebe Bridgers. I love the title. ‘Corriendo con tijeras’ [running with scissors] is a popular saying in Venezuela—it’s like you’re looking for trouble, and your parents keep telling you not to run with scissors. I thought it was a good metaphor to address the dangers of getting involved with a toxic partner.” “Algodón” “People ask me why I named a song after cotton. Cotton feels like a comfortable place to me. It’s a Frankenstein-style track, with 16 composers involved. It’s two separate songs that I put together. One was called ‘Palo’—it had a great intro and a bad chorus. Then I had the ‘Algodón’ chorus, but I didn’t like the verses. So, I fused them together and created this song.” “Los Hombres Son Todos Iguales” “The original demo was just me and a guitar. Then I thought of Lana Del Rey—those beautiful songs of hers with all those strings. My first two albums had elaborate arrangements with string quartets, trumpet trios, things like that. I moved away from that for a long time, and this track gave me the opportunity to revisit the lush orchestrations.” “Perdón Pero No Te Perdono” “One of my best lyrics. With all the available apps, it’s easier to connect with someone. This is why I think that people take relationships for granted. Relationships last less these days, and you can see the same in music—everything is focused on the moment, and nothing lasts. Young people feel that they have no time to lose; time to burn everything to the ground. ‘Perdón Pero No Te Perdono’ [‘Sorry But I Don’t Forgive You’] runs along those lines: OK, cool, you left me and that’s just fine, but that has nothing to do with me, and I don’t intend to forgive you. I think it’s a powerful message.” “Quédate Con Él” “This references ‘Summertime Blues,’ a live version of the Eddie Cochran tune. It’s a great riff, and we wanted it to sound really rough, noisy, and bursting with energy. There’s nothing in my songbook resembling this one, and I wanted to give it a shot.” “Eva” “This was created in the studio. I wrote it using a 12-string guitar, and it’s like my own ‘Wish You Were Here.’ It’s literally a love letter. It speaks about falling in love. Sometimes it’s great. Then you hit some rough patches. You argue with her but also love her with all your soul. No relationship is flat—they’re all multidimensional. To me, ‘Eva’ is everything that involves loving somebody else.”