Naarm post-punks Zombeaches have today released their second full-length LP titled ‘A Taste Of Oxygen’; a dark, introspective and dynamic body of work that explores themes of isolation, connection and hope.
From the opening riffs on Laughing Under A Beating Sun the listener is fully immersed in the chaotic beauty that is Zombeaches. With dissonant guitar leads coming from every direction and a commanding, preacher-like performance from vocalist James Young, the band manage to create an immediate sense of atmosphere that carries on throughout the rest of the sprawling album.
Tracks such as A Taste Of Oxygen, Now In Red and Nocturne showcase the band firing on all cylinders – with blistering riffs and a relentless rhythmic backing that steadily drives the band’s frantic sound, with every member adding their own unique element to the albums sonic tapestry. Whilst this huge sound makes up a large portion of the tracklisting here, songs such as Forever Bright demonstrate a more emotive, understated side to the band, pulling all the focus to the beautiful imagery presented in Young’s vocals.
Thematically, the album draws on themes of connection, isolation and the beauty of life – pushing through the dark times and knowing there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel.
“The album is a celebration of life itself, though while at times it dips into darker tones such as isolation, mortality, suicide and depression it aims to never linger in this space for too long as each song is written with a sense of hope, appreciation and celebration. There is a common expression of beauty, admiration and love of the world in which we live and for the people that live in it. The world can be seen as a dark place right now and it can be easy to let many things bring you down. The album aims to not be defined by darker times and urges to push forward and appreciate the happiness and love that surrounds.. Perhaps in essence the title itself serves as a gentle nudge in recognising the profound beauty and fragility of life.” – JAMES YOUNG, ZOMBEACHES
Engineered and mixed by Nao Anzai (Floodlights, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Belair Lip Bombs), the album was recorded live and mostly written during their time in the studio.
“We have been weary of demoitis in the past, (where we have been too attached to demos and have found ourselves blinded by our own ideas). So we booked a recording session with Nao Anzai, well before we had finalized the structure, lyrics and moods of the songs. We only rehearsed together as a band a handful of times before the sessions and though it was initially nervous it was great to have some creative freedom and ideas flowing while recording the live tracks. A few of the album recorded songs are actually catching the very first time we ever played them in that structure. We recorded the foundations of each song to tape (drums, bass, guitars) live in the studio at Secret Location Recorders in Fairfield over 3 days. Most songs’ tempo are to feel but there were a few songs such as A Taste of Oxygen and Dancing Through Blood where the rhythmic nature determined that we played live to a click track, something that we had never done before. (hat’s off for Nick and Tony). After the initial sessions we had a few weeks off before returning to Rolling Stock to record the vocals, synthesizes, percussion and any other overdubs we needed.” – JAMES YOUNG, ZOMBEACHES
The band have seen plenty of support for the album thus far, with the title track receiving constant airplay on stations such as RRR, PBS, FBi and SYN, as well as a spin on triple J’s Home and Hosed. Their debut album ‘Cheers To The Future’ (2020) saw plenty of praise upon release, scoring the independent artist of the week feature on FBi radio and Feature Album on PBS FM.
On the live circuit the band have made a name for themselves over the years, with appearances at festivals such as Inward Goods, El Palmo, Ninch Fest, Do The Pop and Cherry Rock, sharing stages with the likes of Amyl and the Sniffers, Children Collide, Private Function, Dallas Crane, These New South Wales, The Belair Lip Bombs, Gut Health, C.O.F.F.I.N and more in their time. The band have recently announced their first European tour for September this year, and will be playing a string of shows up and down the east coast to celebrate the release.
‘A Taste Of Oxygen’ is a band at the absolute peak of their power – every member combining to create a euphoric, chaotic and introspective harmony.
“It was a true joy for me to record this album with my friends. We have been a group for a long time now and above all I am really proud of how we have stayed so close as friends and what we have achieved together. And I think this is really what you hear, 5 friends recording music together, music that they all put their hearts into, contribute to, and are proud of. Zombeaches is a collection of our 5 individual personalities, it only works when we all come together and when we are together we are at our best. It really was a treasured experience recording this album, a fun time, a happy time and one I will always look back on with so much pride and accomplishment. It was the album that we wanted to make and make it as our own.” – JAMES YOUNG, ZOMBEACHES
With thanks to Beehive PR
