by Ryan Meyer (@meyer_ryan_twt)
“Looking at the world through shit-colored glasses/ Feel bad every day but do nothing about it” are the lyrics that begin album-highlight “Do Nothing About It” on Julia Shapiro’s new solo album, Zorked. As cliché as it sounds, these lyrics resonate in a period that isn’t quite post-COVID and will never be post-pessimism. There’s a little bit of everything on the Chastity Belt frontwoman’s second solo record, from the vaguely-gothic chord progression of lead single “Come With Me” to the whammy-bar bruiser “Pure Bliss.”
Shoegaze is perhaps the most prominent genre displayed, particularly in moments like the title track’s mostly instrumental middle section, where walls of guitars and Shapiro’s distant vocals nearly drown the listener before it fades out and reemerges as yet another brilliant melody that gently, and perhaps optimistically, carries into the end of the song. On the other end of the shoegaze spectrum is the absolutely crushing opener “Death (XIII),” which presents a dismal landscape until the chorus introduces a second guitar, whose few resonated notes provide a ray of light before it recedes for the verse.
Luckily, Zorked also grants solace in pleasant indie rock tunes like “Someone,” where a relaxed strumming pattern gives way to a distorted lead in the chorus that can only be described as being perfectly played. In a record full of great guitar playing, this song might have the best.
The middle of the record is somewhat broken up by “Reptile! Reptile!,” which on first listen felt like one of those songs that doesn’t reach two minutes, but it’s actually a beautiful, nearly three-minute song that can’t quite be called acoustic because of its unique instrumentation (bird sounds?) and production. Shapiro, in a near whisper, seems to be describing a dream in its second half. The record then proceeds with the aforementioned “Pure Bliss,” which, in what appears to be typical Julia Shapiro fashion, offers perfectly minimal, perhaps blissful, guitar playing in the midst of shoegaze mire.
Zorked seamlessly jumps from acoustic-driven songs to shoegaze soundscapes, and is a must-listen for fans seeking catharsis through beautifully composed and produced songs.