Croatian German singer/songwriter ZUSTRA has been circling around the NOTHING BUT HOPE AND PASSION cosmos for quite some time now and following mighty alterntive pop gems like 2019’s Oh No and The Dream Of Reason in 2020 she’s now ready to finally unleash her debut album by the end of February. On it we get partly mysterious, partly epic anthems with ghostly flavour where the despair of modern existence seem to go hand in hand with the hope for a brighter tomorrow. It’s a bit like the Lars Van Trier-version of a pop song but with an otherworldly sci-fi vibe.
Drowned Body, the latest single from her first full-length is a prime example here. It’s a gloomy and existential affair that sees ZUSTRA playing the guiding siren in a sea of chaos as she slowly transform it into a state of tranquility. And honestly, I can’t think of a better way to deliver a line like “The empire strikes back and it will fuck you into pieces”. The accompanying music video is inspired by critically underrated 2011 sci-fi drama Another World which I enjoyed just as much as the musician did so make sure to catch this surreal little masterpiece on a streaming service of your choice. Especially in a time like ours it’s not the most unusual idea to envision a planet that’s an alternative to ours, right? The album The Dream Of Reason arrives on February 25 and it might just be the right sound for the here and now so make sure to keep this one on your personal radar, okay?
Interested in the best yet still way too unknown music? Awesome! Because every Monday you’re favourite music blog is updating its 50-track-strong Listen AHEAD Playlist on Spotify as we add ten strong songs by fresh artists on top of it. And you are happily invited to follow the playlist over on Spotify and give these new talents a spin. They surely deserve it.
This week’s picks include brand new music from artists like Lady Bird, Thom Southern, Lou Roy, Beau, Karin Ann, Sworn Virgins. Come and hit the play button.