Following the dissolution of The Strypes, three out of four members formed new outfit The Zen Arcade are set to release their debut EP ‘High Fidelity’ this Friday (June 4th).
Last year saw the five-piece release debut single ‘Don’t Say A Word’ as the group venture independent for the first time in six years.
The three ex-members of The Strypes – Ross Farrelly, Josh McClorey, Peter O’Hanlon – whose stellar rise saw them tour three critically acclaimed albums around the world, have adopted an independent approach that extends far beyond their musical output.
The Zen Arcade take their musical cues from the likes of Hoodoo Gurus, Jesus And Mary Chain, XTC and Graham Coxon, relentlessly genre-hopping from garage rock, to power pop, to cow-punk.
Deciding to embrace the pressure of independence, the band started their own zine, ‘Cro Mag Non’, and podcast, ‘Higher Fidelity’.
‘Cro Mag Non’ is a fanzine that’s so DIY you have to make it yourself. Publishing the PDFs online, the zine has managed to make it to tabletops in England, Germany, America and Japan whilst also being physically available from miniature kiosks in Tower Records, Rage Records and the Irish Writers Centre.
‘Higher Fidelity’ is a podcast focusing on music analysis in the form of segments like When Should They Have Stopped, Guilty Hatreds and Never Mind The Fuzzbox enjoying a dedicated listenership in equal measures across five continents.
Speaking about ‘High Fidelity’, The Zen Arcade elaborate: “High Fidelity has gone from jingle to single and theme song to hit song.
“This piece of music originally heralded the start of an episode of Higher Fidelity but now heralds the start of an episode of success.
“The track was written indoors, recorded in vain and released in case. It details the details of a relationship between a cinephile with a lot of boxsets and their partner with a lot to catch up on.”
‘High Fidelity’ will be released on 12″ bubblegum pink vinyl as part of ‘High Fidelity EP’ on June 12th here – graduating from jingle to single in a fashion unheard of since the Minder theme.
Featured image by Paula Trojner
