“Sometimes I have to close my eyes when I’m listening to these songs, because I feel like I’m telling everyone all my secrets,” says Zella Day. Her debut full-length Kicker includes 12 songs that explore toxic relationships, breakups, broken homes, love and lust, and fascination of all kinds. Intimate yet expansive, the album is rich with Western and psychedelic imagery from the remote Northern Arizona mountain town where she was raised. These elements are blended with electronics and lush, hard-hitting, and cinematic orchestrations, creating a magic of Day’s own invention that is reminiscent of Stevie Nicks’ mysticism and Lana Del Rey’s art-damaged darkness.
Kicker follows last year’s Zella Day EP, which was released by LA’s tastemaking B3SCI and exploded virally on the strength of “Compass,” “Sweet Ophelia,” and “East of Eden” – tracks that topped the charts on Hype Machine while being streamed millions of times on Spotify. Those songs are joined here by new standouts including opener “Jerome,” which offers an imagined portrait of a coal miner’s wife in the Arizona mining town where her parents married, new single “High,” which depicts a relationship fueled by indulgence in self-destructive behavior, and lead single “Hypnotic.” Produced by her longtime collaborators Wally Gagel and Xandy Barry (Best Coast) and featuring string arrangements recorded at the legendary Capitol Studios, the LP boasts a richness of texture with an emotional intricacy that makes each song instantly captivating.
The digital download of the album includes an FCC Clean radio edit of the new single “High.”
“Day’s tracks… show off her knack for written nostalgia and dreamy vocals that echo California vibes.”
– Noisey
“Zella Day’s gorgeous and ethereal — yet powerful — vocals are matched equally by her impressive songwriting. She gracefully weaves sturdy hooks into her dreamy, lilting melodies.”
–The Wild Honey Pie
RIYL: Lana Del Rey, Zola Jesus, Stevie Nicks, Lykke Li, Banks, Sky Ferreira, Charli XCX
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: Track #13 “High (Radio Edit),” Track #6 “Hypnotic,” Track #1 “Jerome,” Track #4 “1965,” Track #5 “East of Eden,” Track #12 “Compass”
FCC WARNING: Track 2, “High” and Track 7, “Mustang Kids”
Going for Adds 6/15 & 6/16
Labels: Pinetop/Hollywood
