Introducing: London grunge/alt-pop newcomer ZARIF
London grunge/alt-pop newcomer Zarif is delighted to announce the news of her new EPSquare One, set for release on 29th January 2021.
To celebrate the announcement, lead single ‘Click’ is out now, and available to stream in full on all good digital service providers.
Listen and share: https://soundcloud.com/zarif/click/s-uAi3MdykO0b
Commenting on the track, Zarif said: “‘Click’ is about having the rug pulled from under you, being in uncharted territory, finding yourself lost. It’s about getting into survival mode and fight or flight kicking in, all the while trying to find yourself, clicking your heels hoping to find your way back to whatever you call home.”
An independent Jewish-Persian artist from London inspired by strong female icons like Karen O and PJ Harvey, Zarif’s forthcoming EP is 4 tracks of melodic grunge/alt-pop which marries cutting riffs with lush harmonies in a nod to the ‘90s. Thematically, the EP explores the uncertainty of change, tracing the transience of relationships and experiences over the course of life.
If Zarif’s name is already familiar it’s because the release of her debut album, Box of Secrets, caused a stir amongst the UK music press, with The Guardian naming her “the next big thing in British soul”. Styled by her major label at the time as the next pop-soul sensation, Zarif toured extensively around Europe and was the opening act for Beyoncé on the I am… Sasha Fierce UK tour, with Billboard Magazine describing her as “Amy Winehouse with Madonna’s pop flair”.
She has performed with John Legend, toured as a backing vocalist with Tom Odell, and had her music featured on TV and feature films, including Marvel’s Agent Carter and the Emmy Award-winning Catastrophe.
Her new sound is a complete departure from the pop-soul of the first album. As Zarif recalls, “When you’re signed to a major label, everything is a compromise. An album that started out quite raw and rocky ended up being turned into a glossier, poppier end product that I didn’t even recognise when it came out.”
This time around Zarif took back control and recorded the EP completely independently, “in many a messy bedroom in South London”, away from the constraints of the major label machine. The lack of glamour or budget has ensured complete creative freedom.
The result is an experimental, raw and exciting sound, part lo-fi grunge riffs and part alt-pop, produced by Mercury-nominated John Calvert (Ghostpoet, NAO) and mixed by John Catlin (Led Zeppelin, Foals).
Further details and music TBA over the coming months.
Zarif’s new EP Square One is released 29th January 2021
Square One tracklist:
1. Nothing But A Memory
2. Anonymous
3. Click
4. Back To Square One
