WE-ARE-Z To Release 'Easy' on April 22nd

Easy

Sputnik

22 April 2016

WE-ARE-Z produce quirky, rhythmic indie 'wonk-pop' born out of many wine fuelled late night jam sessions in bass player Archie's studio in London. Their idiosyncratic songs are largely observational, yet fully accessible, inspired by weekend booze fuelled culture and the late night chaos found in many British cities and towns, the increasing acceptance of the plastic surgeons knife as the norm, the futility of man's desire for ever increasing material acquisition and madness in its multifarious forms.

Musically, the band fall left of centre, referencing a tradition of great pop music from the likes of Devo, XTC, Talking Heads, Serge Gainsbourg, Blur and Sparks.

Additional influences include movies and biographies “of people who have lived extraordinary lives and existed on the fringes of what's considered normal”. They cite as examples Caravaggio the artist, Don McCullen and Kevin Carter the war photojournalists “who were tormented by what they'd seen”, as well as photographer Diane Arbus who “celebrated 'weirdness' and ‘ugliness'". They raise a large glass of Beaujolais to their current inspiration, the attitude and joie de vivre of French high wire artist Philipe Petit, who famously strung a wire across New York's Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre in 1973 and proceeded to walk, cavort, dance, and recite poetry at an impossibly vertiginous altitude.

WE-ARE-Z represents the the culmination of each of the band members' adventures through music.

Bass player Archie, through his work as a producer has worked with James Morrison, Pharell Williams and Celtic song writing legends, The Waterboys. Frontman Gabby had weaved his way across the globe in an array of guises, playing and performing in desert festivals in California, working with Brazilian Hip Hop artists in Montreal and New York, and providing avant-garde musical textures for the alternative theatre scene across Germany. Drummer Guillaume and guitarist Drew have both clocked up air miles touring across most of Europe, Scandinavia and Russia in many different bands, whilst keys player Clement had travelled the length and breadth of France as a street magician before teaming up with the others to make the leap of faith from magic to music, whilst still retaining an element of magic in his onstage antics.

'Easy' is a song about the insane addiction to, and sweetly tormented lust, for ever increasingly adrenaline fuelled travel adventures. Each member regaled the others with various individual experiences of life on the road, before they had come together. Late night run-ins with Mafiosi in remote snow bound Russian towns, sumptuously hedonistic musical performances in the deserts of California with a mélange of tripped out hippy characters and naked women adorning pianos and whatever other parts of various musical instruments happened to be present, drives across the Atlas mountains of Morocco in vehicles that would frequently break down, horse riding in Mongolia, midnight skinny dipping in villages high in the Norwegian Arctic Circle. There was definitely a song to be had!

‘...big, sing-along choruses, whirring guitar melodies and mechanical chords. As a statement of intent it couldn't be clearer; it's hypnotic, addictive and sure to be explosive when played live.’

The 405

‘Music with an agenda is hard to come by these days, but west London-based funk-punk trio We Are Z have no qualms about stridently setting out their stall.’

Q Magazine

"Step (jerkily) this way if you like XTC and Devo"

The Guardian

"Powered by an insidious bassline and with some tasty musical back references to acts like The Cure and XTC"

Recordoftheday.com

"WE-ARE-Z really lay down a thick and meaty groove that makes “Knucklehead” quite the boot-stomper"

Popdose

"WE-ARE-Z’s creations are instantly catchy and are sure to stick in your ears upon first listen"

Gigslutz

"‘Knucklehead' proudly struts forth with its chest forward from the very beginning to the very final note"

Popped Culture

"WE-ARE-Z is undeniably a band that has mastered the art of writing songs instantly connecting with the listener, and 'Knucklehead' is the type of tune which will experience countless repeat buttons being pressed over and over again."

The Hype Magazine

"WE-ARE-Z, a band that comes out swinging from the moment the kick pounds"

Rough Online

The Band:

Gabriel Cazes - Frontman / Lead Singer / Multi-instrumentalist

Marc Arciero (Archie) - Bass / Backing Vocals

Drew Wynen - Guitar / Backing Vocals

Clément Leguidcoq - Keys / Percussion

Guillaume Charreau - Drums / Backing Vocals

Social Links:

www.we-are-z.com

www.facebook.com/WeAreZmusic