zzzahara announces new album ‘Spiral Your Way Out’, shares haunting single "Ghosts"

News

10 Oct

LA-based singer-songwriter zzzahara is back with their third album, Spiral Your Way Out, set to be released on 10 January 2025 through Lex Records. Following up on their acclaimed Tender (2023), this new project promises to take listeners through the raw, emotional aftermath of a relationship gone wrong. The first glimpse into this journey comes with the release of lead single "Ghosts", accompanied by an eerie, 3D-animated video that highlights the personal turmoil behind the track.

In Spiral Your Way Out, zzzahara doesn’t shy away from the heavy emotions that have been simmering beneath the surface for the past year. The album captures the cathartic release of those feelings, as the artist reflects on their experience of isolation, emotional burnout, and anger at their own inability to walk away from a toxic situation. The record’s production marks a shift from the introspective tone of Tender, swapping reflective calm for an edgier, more assertive sound.

Speaking about the record, zzzahara explains how the album became an outlet for their pent-up frustrations:

“When I finally sat down in the studio, I had all this anger—towards that person for treating me badly, but mostly towards myself for not walking away. I took it all out on the record.”

Spiral Your Way Out Tracklist:

It Didn’t Mean Nothing
In Your Head
Bruised
If I Had To Go I Would Leave the Door Closed Half Way
Wish You Would Notice (Know This)
Ghosts
Pressure Makes a Diamond
Head in a Wheel
Bluebird
NY NY

The new single, "Ghosts", sets the tone for what’s to come. Stripped back and painfully raw, the song lays bare the push and pull of staying in a damaging relationship, echoing the influence of early 2000s emo bands like Scene Aesthetic and Dashboard Confessional. The accompanying video, directed by Hannah Bon, features a 3D-rendered zzzahara navigating a dreamscape where ghosts and singing cats materialise from lava lamps. It's as visually captivating as it is unsettling, drawing inspiration from the haunting aesthetics of Japanese horror games like Fatal Frame and Clock Tower 3.

zzzahara has always been adept at blending personal storytelling with universal themes of love, loss, and self-discovery. Their previous albums, Liminal Spaces (2022) and Tender (2023), explored these themes through the lens of growing up in LA’s alternative scene, but Spiral Your Way Out promises to be their most ambitious work yet. The album was crafted in collaboration with a diverse range of producers, including Jorge Elbrecht (Japanese Breakfast, Sky Ferreira) and Sarah Tudzin (boygenius), offering a fuller and more expansive sound. The collaborative process allowed zzzahara to bring their intimate songwriting style to a broader sonic landscape, while still retaining the honesty and grit that has defined their music.

Reflecting on the process, zzzahara says:

"It felt comfortable to have them lead or translate what I’d written and make it better.” The result is an album that balances personal expression with a more panoramic view of the artist’s evolving sound.

With Spiral Your Way Out, zzzahara continues to carve out their place in the alt-pop world, creating a space where vulnerability and defiance sit side by side. As the title suggests, the album is about finding a way out of the darkest moments, while holding onto the bruises and lessons they leave behind. Pre-orders for the album are now available, and fans can expect to see zzzahara live as they embark on a tour starting this November. The future looks bright for zzzahara, even as they explore the shadows on Spiral Your Way Out.

Save the date for Spiral Your Way Out., and watch the video for “Ghosts”: