Songfacts®:

• The devil, somewhat ironically, is a common theme in the music of Rainbow Kitten Surprise, a band whose music is much darker than their name. In "Devil Like Me," lead singer Ela Melo views the devil as a nuanced spirit with cares and expectations. Sure, he's the embodiment of evil, but does he sometimes cry in his sleep? And is it even a he? And is the devil even real?
  
  "I grew up in the Dominican Republic and the devil was an obsession to the culture there, people were genuinely afraid of the devil," Melo told Iowa State Daily. "I wanted to find out when I came to America exactly what it was for this culture, what it means and evokes for different people. It is always good imagery."
• "Devil Like Me" is the song that put Rainbow Kitten Surprise on the map. They formed in the fall of 2012 at Appalachian State University in North Carolina, originally as a duo made up of Ela Melo and guitarist Bozzy Keller, who were freshmen living in the same dorm, where they would often play Modest Mouse songs in the lobby. They made an EP of songs in their dorm room but decided they needed more members, so they recruited three more students when they returned to school in 2013. As a five-piece, they came up "Devil Like Me," which they submitted to VH1 for a livestream competition called "Make A Band Famous."
  
  The song earned Rainbow Kitten Surprise a spot in the contest, and although they didn't get past the first round, they got some exposure that propelled them forward to festival appearances and local gigs. "Devil Like Me" even got a smattering of airplay, but it was mostly online where fans heard the song.
  
  In 2018 the band got a deal with Elektra Records and released the album How To: Friend, Love, Freefall on the label. The lead single, "It's Called: Freefall," garnered millions of streams, taking them to a new level. That song is also very devilish. It begins:
  
  Called to the Devil and the Devil did come
  I said to the Devil, "Devil, do you like drums?"
• Directed by Quentin Norris and Brandon Norris (The Norris Brothers), the music video plays on the substance abuse angle alluded to in the song, following a man as he battles two demons: whisky and pills.
• "Devil Like Me" is a live favorite for Rainbow Kitten Surprise. It's stuck around in their setlists even as their discography has grown since joining a major label.