Riding in on oceanic waves of drone and immense muscular drums, enter the spectral pop duo Zaza. While associated with their peers in Brooklyn’s recent exploding indie-pop/shoegaze scene, Zaza sonically contrast from their guitar-pop brethren in favor of something darker, more mysterious driven by haunting, ethereal vocals and rolling, cavernous rhythms. Recently signing to Kanine Records (Chairlift, Grizzly Bear), the duo is set to release their mesmerizing debut EP “Cameo” this August.
ZAZA is the musical union of Jennifer Fraser and Danny Taylor, both West Coast transplants who connected by fate in New York. The duo started creating textural loops and aural soundscapes, yielding strange ideas during the isolation of New York winters. Quite insular in the songwriting process, all the dreamy melodies, lyrics, and timbres are written about/for each other. The band describes their sound as “a love affair that feels like metal on metal.” No strangers to their craft, Jennifer is a talented multi-instrumentalist who previously played in Teepee Records’ stalwarts The Warlocks, while Danny is known for his close associations with Pains Of Being Pure At Heart while also manning sound for various bands and venues throughout New York City.
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Already met with praise for their live shows from the New York press, ZAZA have been favorably compared to British dream-rock acts like Ride, Slowdive, and Cocteau Twins. However, to pigeonhole them as a late ’80s/early ’90s throwback doesn’t do justice to how effortlessly their songs exist between hazy drones and sultry, melodic hooks. Psychedelic and radiant, the Cameo EP both challenges the listener while at the same time intimately inviting them in closer.