Zeal & Ardor’s last two singles, “Run” and “Erase,” were both devastatingly heavy. That is certainly not the case with the band’s latest, “Bow.” Bluesy, anthemic, and just begging to be used in a commercial or movie trailer, “Bow” is very much in the same vein as the title track from 2017’s Devil is Fine. If Zeal & Ardor ever make an entire album that sounds like this, they could probably tour with Kaleo.
“Bow” is also, incidentally, a righteous protest song featuring the lyric “Bow down to the American Way!”. Zeal & Ardor are, of course, Swiss. I’m sure it will piss off some people that a Swiss band would DARE to criticize the United States. That really just makes me appreciate Zeal & Ardor all the more.
Says Zeal & Ardor’s Manuel Gagneux of the track:
“‘Bow’ takes out established musical themes and places them into a completely different background. It’s an amalgam of things bestowing bad luck demanding you to join it.”
“Bow,” “Run,” and “Erase” will all appear on Zeal & Ardor’s eponymous third album, which is now set for release February 11, 2022 via MVKA. Says Gagneux of the offering:
“With the self-titled record, we have arrived at where I imagined this project should sound like. It’s the longest we’ve worked on a single record and I believe it shows. The most important thing for an album of ours to do, is transport you instantly into our mood, our world. Even though this might not be the one you might expect from us, this record certainly delivers on that front. We had time to hone in to what we think makes us interesting and what sounds we would like to explore. Through this we have found our home. Home is burning. Welcome home.”
Listen to “Bow” below, and pre-order Zeal & Ardor here.
Zeal & Ardor Tracklist
- “Zeal & Ardor”
- “Run”
- “Death to the Holy”
- “Emersion”
- “Golden Liar”
- “Erase”
- “Bow”
- “Feed the Machine”
- “I Caught You”
- “Church Burns”
- “Götterdämmerung”
- “Hold Your Head Low”
- “J-M-B”
- “A-H-I-L”
