One of the joys of music is the way seemingly incomplete parts can fit together to fill out a larger picture. The constituent components of The Watson Twins' "Devil in You" certainly seem to fall into that category. The guitar slashes, albeit gently, while the organ wheezes in single, heavy breaths. The drums underneath seem practically vestigial, lacking the backbone of a steadily tapping hi-hat that typically provides the actual beat of a song.
But the pieces lock immediately into place, and "Devil in You" seems to stop and start constantly, lurching forward from bar to bar. It swings as though it's supposed to be a secret, like there's a hidden shuffle that can't be heard, only felt. The momentum generated is enough to sustain the song far longer than the three and a quarter minutes it lasts.
Into this environment steps Chandra Watson, singing words that seem impressionistic at some points and deliberately vague at others. It's not entirely clear whether she's advocating escape or return, though she's defiant either way. Meanwhile, yet more layers are added to the song by its end, when the bridge (where she and her sister Leigh harmonize at right angles) and chorus are sung atop one another, as the clipped, deliberate piano keeps galumphing inexorably along.
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