P&P Spotlight: Evann McIntosh

To Evann McIntosh, fantasy isn’t simply an escape. It’s what pushes us forward. On their latest album Fantasy Fuel, the rising artist sings of desire, projection, and miscommunication as they navigate the space between imagination and reality. Within ten resonant tracks, they explore how projection, intimacy, and ego can shape our view of ourselves and those around us. The represents a transitional period in their life, as they wrote it between Chicago and Los Angeles amidst relocation and personal reflection. 

The focus track, “Better,” best characterizes the project’s central themes through Stevie Wonder-inspired key changes, lush shifting harmonies, and a growing sense of determination. A confessional slow burn conveyed through a modern lens, “Better” unfolds like a late-night jam on a vintage record player, its melody shapeshifting with every emotional turn. In its accompanying music video, Evann is taking in their surroundings at a local Chicago park, illustrating that getting “better” is more about presence than perfection. 

Playlists & Polaroids recently spoke with Evann about the world of Fantasy Fuel, and to say that their words and perspective moved us would be an understatement. Keep reading to learn more about the creative evolution, visual elements, collaborations, and real-life stories behind the record! 

Photo credit: Nicholas Cantu, graphic created by Karly Ramnani

YOU'LL LOVE EVANN MCINTOSH IF YOU LISTEN TO: Frank Ocean, Clairo, UMI, Daniel Caesar, Madison Cunningham, Lorde, Wallows

Your new album Fantasy Fuel was written during a time of relocation between Chicago and Los Angeles. How did that transition shape the creative process of the album?

I think it shaped the album in a lot of ways. I was going through a huge period of transition in my life, and that naturally translated into music. It felt like I was also going through a transformation creatively. I wanted to branch out from the genre I had been making before and step outside of my usual creative process to experiment in new ways. It was a time of a lot of new experiences for me. I was adjusting to a new space, a new community, and new influences. Being in that environment pushed me to try things I hadn’t tried before and approach the music differently. That sense of change and exploration really became part of the album’s creative process.

What does the phrase Fantasy Fuel mean to you, and how does it connect to the themes explored throughout the album?

To me, fantasy feels like a motivating force. It’s the thing that pushes you to step outside of your comfort zone and imagine something different for yourself. In that sense, it’s about whatever sparks the desire to grow or change things up. Fantasy can be the fuel that encourages you to try something new, take risks, and move toward something you might not have considered before.

Fantasy Fuel blends a variety of different musical and personal influences, while still feeling very cohesive and authentic. Tell us more about the ideas and inspirations that this project comes from! 

I took in a lot of different influences and sounds while working on the album, and then when I sat down to write, whatever came out is what came out. So far, it hasn’t felt like a very deliberate process. It’s more about absorbing everything around me and letting those ideas naturally find their way into the music.

When you look back at the writing process for Fantasy Fuel, were there any themes that kept showing up in your lyrics that you didn’t expect?

While I was writing the album — and especially when I went back later to write out the lyrics and reflect on each song — I started noticing certain themes that kept appearing. Not just on this record, but across my whole catalog. I write a lot about illusion, or about wanting to cut through illusion in order to connect with someone in a real way. That idea shows up in a lot of the songs on the album. “Better” touches on it, and so do tracks like “Onto You,” “Le Microscope,” and “Just Me.” They all circle around this feeling of wanting to reach something or someone, but there being some kind of barrier in the way. It’s about trying to demystify things and see what’s actually real.

Travel also ended up being a big influence, especially with songs like “Free Ride” and “Bad Case of You.” There’s also a lot of frustration woven throughout the album, along with themes about relationships and connection. Those ideas kept resurfacing as I wrote, and they eventually became the threads that tie the whole project together.

Fantasy Fuel album cover

Did any particular tracks begin to evolve in unexpected ways once you started working in the studio?

“Everybody” was originally a lot more upbeat and folkier. But when I brought it into the studio, Abe and I started thinking about how to approach it differently. He suggested making it more mellow and adding some interesting textures, and I had the idea to bring in a drum machine. By the end, it felt so much more powerful than I anticipated. The vocals really cut through in a way I do not think they would have if we had kept it in its original form. It was cool to see how collaboration and experimentation could completely reshape a song.

How did your approach to songwriting or production change while creating Fantasy Fuel compared to your previous work?

Previously, most of my production work happened remotely with a producer. A lot of the songs were created pretty simply in Logic, and there wasn’t much live instrumentation involved. Many of those tracks were really just built between me and one other person. Coming into this album, especially after moving to Chicago and getting more immersed in the music community there, I started going to more live shows and thinking differently about how I wanted the music to feel. I realized I really wanted live instrumentation on this record and wanted it to reflect more of my analog influences.

That shift changed my process a lot. I wanted to spend more time in the studio, collaborating in person and working with different musicians, including producer Abe Rounds. Bringing those live elements into the songs helped shape the overall sound of the record in a way that felt new for me.

Would you say that your identity and experience as an openly non-binary artist impacted your approach towards creating Fantasy Fuel? 

Probably in the sense that I’m made up of so many contradictions that all live together and this process was sort of another one. I was inspired and influenced by a lot of analog material but I’m so modern and I couldn’t exist in any time but now. 

The single “Better” feels like a powerful introduction to the album. What made that song feel like the right choice to introduce Fantasy Fuel?

“Better” was actually the first song I brought into the studio while working on the record. It was also the first one that really came together, and in a lot of ways it helped make the rest of the album possible because the process with that song went so well. Because of that, it felt fitting for it to come out alongside the record. It was the starting point for everything, and a lot of what followed was built from the momentum of that first track. In many ways, “Better” became the foundation that the rest of Fantasy Fuel grew from.

“Better” bounces between the emotions of frustration and hope. What thoughts and experiences influenced you while writing it?

Frustration and hope definitely played a big role while I was writing it. At the time, I was dating someone that I had a lot in common with on the surface, but once you looked a little deeper, we actually didn’t have that much in common at all. I’m a big believer in communication and talking things through, whether that’s in friendships, relationships, or really any part of life. That belief shaped the song a lot. I think the experience of trying to work through those differences and wanting to communicate honestly is what ultimately influenced the writing of it.

What was it like collaborating with Meshell Ndegeocello and Abe Rounds? What did each of them bring to Fantasy Fuel creatively, and did you take away any important advice or lessons from your experience working with them?

Creatively, Meshell brought her beautiful playing to the record. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to be there in person when she recorded because I had to fly back before she could come into the studio to hear the song and decide if she wanted to be part of it. But Abe, who produced the record and also plays drums and percussion in her band, shared the track with her. She thought it was really cool and ended up playing on it. One of the biggest changes she brought was this incredible bass part, which really added a new dimension to the song.

Working with Abe was also a huge part of shaping the sound of the album. I came to him with my songs, my influences, and a loose idea of the arrangements, and he helped bring everything to life. He produced the entire record, played percussion on most of it, and added a lot of the instrumentation. He also brought in the other musicians who played on the album. He has a way of thinking about music in really creative, unexpected ways, and that perspective helped push the songs further than I could have imagined on my own.

Is there a song from the album that you're especially excited to perform live?

“Onto You.” It’s such a fun track to perform. It’s not super heavy, but in the context of a set list — surrounded by all the R&B, groovy vibes on the album — it really hits in a unique way. That energy makes it a lot of fun to play live.

If Fantasy Fuel had a mood board or visual aesthetic, what would it include?

I made many different mood boards to create the visual look and style for the album. I worked closely with the creative director, Angela, who is a genius, on the album cover and all the visuals. The mood boards have images of movie stills, cornfields, buildings, cities, and a lot of other things that depict farms, homes, and so forth. We were trying to capture both the feeling of the Midwest and city life, as I am from Kansas but will be making my way to Chicago.

The colors throughout the album are warm and include colors such as red, brown, grey, and green. The album has photographs of cowboys and random details that seem unusual. However, the images feel very cohesive together. The visual world created through the different mood boards is layered with texture and depth, just like the music itself has both grounding and imaginative qualities.

Finally, the P&P classic! What's a lyric from any song on Fantasy Fuel that stands out to you? Walk us through the process of writing it and how it speaks to you personally.

I’ve been trying to be thoughtful about this. On the song “Just Me,” there’s a lyric that really stands out: “I saw you as if from an airplane window / Felt I was standing in the middle of the street / What are you waiting for? / Knock me off my feet.” 

It came together out of this extreme sense of consciousness, almost like a heightened awareness of a moment. I’ve always thought it’s an interesting way to capture that feeling. It’s not necessarily the way I usually approach lyrics or storytelling, but there’s something about that line that really resonates with me. It captures a mix of observation, longing, and vulnerability that feels personal and true.

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Fantasy Fuel contains the kind of music that makes you stop, listen, and remember why songs can feel like company when you need it most. These songs pay homage to classic soul traditions while still highlighting Evann’s signature style of intricate, thoughtful, and genre-bending songwriting. Filled to the brim with heart and intention, this project vividly captures Evann’s tender and resolute moments. Whether it’s the driving energy of “Better” or the quieter threads running through the record, Fantasy Fuel establishes Evann as one to watch in the indie space. Here's a playlist we've curated to capture their world!