FOR RELEASE JULY 26, 2021
OMAHA (July 12, 2021) – What happens when a ’70s-style singer-songwriter embraces New Wave? “Matters in the Dark,” the first single from Sutter Zachman’s forthcoming debut album, answers that question in shimmering colors. The single due out July 26 is off the album, End of the Arcade, produced by Grammy-winning engineer Austen Jux-Chandler (Adele, Wolf Alice, Vance Joy).
If Duran Duran and Dawes hung out for a night, they might have laid down a tune like this one – a bouncy kaleidoscope of psychedelic riffs and bright acoustic guitars above an irresistible groove. Zachman’s dreamy melodies glide like shooting stars through the night sky as he meets his lover in “the space between the body and the soul.” It’s an alluring burst of hypnotic pop.
On October 8, Zachman will release End of the Arcade. The lush record features bassist Eliana Athayde (Weyes Blood), drummer Kyle Crane (Kurt Vile, Neko Case) and guitarist Connor Sullivan (Liz Phair). Zachman recorded the album mostly in Los Angeles, but once the pandemic hit, he enlisted a few additional musicians to add finishing touches from across the globe – including a tiny London brass section that recorded in their closet.
On End of the Arcade, Zachman gave himself the freedom to cull from a medley of influences, from ’80s synth-pop to Brazilian folk. The process reinforced his feeling that making music is “a form of escapism.” Yet his lyrics reveal an unmistakable yearning. “I have a real appetite for answering questions that I don’t have answers to,” he explains with a laugh. Zachman’s search for answers manifests into a musical journey filled with enchanting surprises.
End of the Arcade Track Listing
- Chinese New Year
- Beautiful Language
- Tell Any Lies
- We Live in California
- Matters in the Dark
- The Restaurant
- Hotel Lobby, San Diego
- Swedish Girl
- Cycles
- On and On
- Emerald Eyes
About Sutter Zachman
At the brink of just twenty years old Zachman signed a big publishing deal in 2008 with Chrysalis. Unable to find immediate success as a songwriter, Zachman moved to the Midwest to attend college and wouldn’t return to Los Angeles until 2013 when he formed the band La Route, consisting of Cameron Meshell (Forever Like Red) and Angela Russell. The trio’s regularly performed street shows on Abbot Kinney Boulevard eventually caught the attention of a local producer who invited them to record at his studio – resulting in Zachman’s debut EP, Repeat Offender. The single off the EP, “Back to Sleep,” received international airplay on BBC and Rte 1 Radio and earned him an in-studio performance at Yahoo Music. As Zachman was wrapping up the production of his fourth EP, Up All Night, an auspicious dinner set up by his wife’s co-worker led to Zachman meeting Grammy-winning engineer Austen Jux-Chandler (Adele, Wolf Alice, Vance Joy) who produced the upcoming album, End of the Arcade. Zachman will support the album release with a fall tour.
Praise for “Matters in the Dark”
“If you want a delicate song tailored to psychedelic elements, this proposal turns everything classic into a technological desire that cannot stop caressing your brain and causing more than heavy but sensational sensations.” – Indie Criollo
