Queer alt-pop rise Zara Smile wants to be heard in new track Listen.

ZARA SMILE

With a sound that merges alternative, rock and folk, blends raw lyricism with genre-defying records, Zara Smile is one to watch out for. Drawing comparison from Riot Grrrl and The Beths, Zara Smile is making waves across the music scene with their latest track Listen.

LISTEN

Opening with gritty guitar strumming, the layers of different instruments build up as the song goes on with the lyrics getting louder and angrier. The emotion driven vocals sing: “I don’t want you to touch me / I just want you to listen / I don’t want you to wear it / I just want you to listen.” The lyrics are powerful, screaming anger and annoyance in a sense of ‘why cant you understand me for who I am?’ It proves the real intimacy comes from listening and accepting someone for who they are.

Speaking about the track, Zara says: “Listen came from a place of being fed up with feeling like I had to explain myself to people who had already decided they didn’t understand or care what I was standing for.” They added: “There’s a lot of anger in the song, but underneath is exhaustion, the exhaustion of constantly trying to fit into spaces that weren’t made with people like us in mind. I wanted it to feel like the moment where you lose your cool for a second, and just want to scream ‘listen to me!“

the future

The long awaited second EP features tracks such as Skin and Better. The EP soundtracks the trials and tribulations of young adulthood, sitting somewhere between anger, grief, identity, hope and friendship. The EP arrives alongside Zara’s headline tour with dates across the UK this September.

Zara Smile: Website

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