Sending a big ol’ f-you to folks who think a Black hardcore band need to keep hip hop out of the equation to prove their worth, Zulu just dropped the hip hop-tinged single “We’re More Than This.”
The song is from the band’s forthcoming full-length album, A New Tomorrow, out March 3 via Flatspot Records.
Yusuf of Zulu says about the song:
“When we first started writing for the record, Anaiah and I had bounced the idea of maybe doing some jazz or R&B songs and putting some raps on the record. I know Satchel and Anaiah had jammed out some different ideas that I hadn’t really been present for. We were actually ending our tour with Sasami when I first heard the music for ‘We’re More Than This.’ We were in the van at a rest stop, and Anaiah played it off a video of him and Satchel jamming. It just hit me all in an instant.
“I didn’t think much beyond the lyrics of ‘must I only share my pain,’ which is a running theme throughout the album. But it’s ironic because I go forward with sharing glimpses of pain and trauma, but that’s really the setup to show the things I’ve (we’ve) become in spite of that pain. This is really a song of resilience and encouragement. Saying that we can still be more than the tropes that are put on us. That we are more than commodified versions of our trauma.”
The album was recorded, mixed, and mastered by collaborator Zach Tuch’s (Dare, Trash Talk), with Lei on production. After spending months toying with different instrumentation and samples, and pulling influences ranging from reggae to death metal, the result is a truly varied album.
The band are currently on tour with Show Me The Body, Jesus Piece, Scowl, and TRiPP JONES, and will make multiple festival appearances across the U.S. and Europe this Spring including Adjacent Festival (NJ) and Outbreak Fest (U.K.).
Tour Dates:
w/ Show Me The Body + Jesus Piece + Scowl + TRiPP JONES
2/10 – Richmond, VA @ Richmond Music Hall
2/11 – Durham, NC @ Motorco
2/13 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
2/14 – Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum
2/15 – Miami, FL @ Gramps
2/16 – Gainesville, FL @ The Wooly
2/17 – Baton Rouge, LA @ Chelsea’s Live
2/18 – Dallas, TX @ The Studio at The Factory
2/19 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
2/21 – San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger
2/22 – Austin, TX @ The Mohawk
2/24 – El Paso, TX @ Lowbrow Palace
2/25 – Tucson, AZ @ 191 Toole
2/26 – San Diego, CA @ Brick By Brick
2/28 – Orange County, CA @ The Observatory
3/1 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent
3/3 – Santa Cruz, CA Santa Cruz @ Vets Hall
3/4 – Berkeley, CA @ UC Theatre
3/5 – Sacramento, CA @ Harlow’s
3/7 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos
3/8 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre
3/9 – Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall
3/10 – Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory
3/11 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Soundwell
3/12 – Denver, CO @ Gothic Theatre
3/14 – Omaha, NE @ Slowdown
3/15 – Minneapolis, MN @ Underground Music Venue
3/16 – Chicago, IL @ Metro
3/17 – Detroit, MI @ Tangent Gallery
3/18 – Toronto, ON @ The Opera House
3/19 – Montreal, QC @ Corona
3/21 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
3/22 – Albany, NY @ Fuze Box
3/23 – Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
3/24 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel
5/27 + 5/28 – Atlantic City, NJ @ Adjacent Festival
6/22-24 – Ysselsteyn, NL @ Jera on Air
6/23-25 – Manchester, UK @ Outbreak Fest
6/23-25 – Ferropolis, GER @ Full Force Fest