Los Angeles-based guitarist and songwriter zzzahara gushes refulgent emotion and dreamy melodies on their new record Tender, which arrives via Lex Records. On top of the release, they will also be playing a string of shows in SoCal next month starting with a slot at the upcoming Substance Festival on November 3rd. They’ll also be supporting Wild Nothing with stops at the Fonda Theater in Los Angeles on November 14th and The Observatory in Santa Ana on November 18th.
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The solo moniker of queer artist Zahara Jaime, things started taking off for zzzahara after joining Eyedress as their touring guitarist. Eventually, though the relationship blossomed into a full-on collaboration, the result of which was the inception of their duo project The Simps. Not long after they’d released Siblings — a record filled to the brim with their mesmeric and sonically enveloping indie rock.
The child of Filipino and Mexican parents, Jaime grew up locally in Highland Park and quickly felt a certain level of discouragement regarding the city’s gentrification and overtly White-male rock scene. Those feelings coalesced into the EP Simp.Wave and their debut LP liminal spaces — an 11-track collection topped by such earnest and propulsive songs like “get out of la.”
Their sophomore effort Tender is a no less personal and beaming trek through zzzahara’s enthrallingly intimate bedroom rock. At times a lethargic meander through melancholic soundscapes, as on its opening track “Dust” and the shimmering “U,” even at its most doleful the record irresistibly blends fuzzed-out guitars and with a drawling sincerity.
But for the most part, the songs on the record are marked by a drumming kineticism, one that buoys their wistful and lovelorn sentiments with no small urgency. On both “I’d Like You to Leave” and “idk how to luv” that propulsive energy takes the form of heady drum machines and a spiraling of electrifying riffs. Other standouts include the waxing heartache that bounces around on its title track and the ecstatic finale found on “Hey Familiar Face,” where zzzahara dazzles with a melding of sizzling guitar work and yearning synths.
See zzzahara in Los Angeles at Substance Festival on November 3rd and at the Fonda Theater on November 14th. They will also be playing The Observatory in Santa Ana on November 18th.
Visit zzzahara on their Bandcamp, Instagram, and TikTok to stay updated on new releases and tour announcements.
zzzahara tour
October 18—They’re Gonna Be Big @ Supersonic—Paris, FR
October 19—Trix—Antwerp, BE
October 20-21— Left of the Dial—Rotterdam, NL
October 23—SWN Festival—Cardiff, UK
October 24—Courtyard Theatre—London, UK
November 1—Café Du Nord—San Francisco, CA
November 3—Substance Festival—Los Angeles, CA
November 5—FREAKOUT Festival—Seattle, WA
November 14—Fonda Theater—Los Angeles, CA*
November 15—The Independent—San Francisco, CA*
November 17—Casbah—San Diego, CA*
November 18—The Observatory—Santa Ana, CA*
November 20—House of Blues—Chicago, IL*
November 25— Freakout Festival—Seattle, WA
January 24—Johnny Brenda’s—Philadelphia, PA
January 26—Elsewhere—New York, NY
January 27—Quarry House—Washington, D.C.
* w/ Wild Nothing
Words: Steven Ward
Listen to Tender the new album from zzzahara below!
