Zoo Releases Its First Full Length LP

Kolkata based electro experimental band - Zoo have released their debut full length album, ‘Atoms and Combinations’ on Hong Kong based record label, Metal Postcard. The album structures its sound around an instrument heavy foundation of vocals, bass, drum and guitar - making a departure from their previous 6 track EP titled The Attic Sessions, which you can listen to here.

The band describes their latest venture as “an homage to the concept of life” and the album is titled keeping in mind the atomity of being; how, on our Pale Blue Dot, everything is ultimately composed of the same matter that creates the entire universe - an ambitious concept.

Atoms and Combinations certainly incorporates big vocals and heavy instrumentation to back that up and overall, the album is much more refined in terms of productions than its predecessor. Coarse percussion and visceral vocals have given way to a cleaner, more professional sound and it works in certain tracks like the throbbing, bass heavy ‘Ride On’ and the more downtempo ‘In Time’. ‘Ride On’ also sees Zoo collaborate with German dubstep duo Raggabund whom they met while touring in Vietnam in 2013. There is no doubt that this is an interesting album, but one feels like it lacks the raw, experimental, genre irrelevant quality of The Attic Sessions. Comparatively, Atoms and Combinations plays it safe.

Their use of electronica is pronounced – most tracks on the albums (particularly the title song) are infused with a heavy dose of pulsating, rhythmic synths and noises, apparently influenced by the member’s love of science fiction.

There are also a very obvious R&B and soul tones in the album which are most prominent in the voice of their lead vocalist Tanya – she has a big, powerful voice that lends a distinctive quality to their style.

Zoo has been performing in Bangkok and Singapore this past month and debuted on 20 June in Kolkata. Zoo is Tanya Sen, Bodhisattwa Ghosh, Rohit Nandi and Bijit Bhattacharya.

You can stream the entire album (available on bandcamp) below and see what you make of it.

Words: Diya Gupta
Image (thumb) courtesy Le Cool, Bangkok