Dirty Beaches and Zulu Pearls Collaborate

Berlin-based, by way of Washington, DC, Zulu Pearls have shared their latest collaboration. This time Zach Van Hoozer, the creative force behind the project, teamed up with avant-garde experimentalist Dirty Beaches and Tokyo’s Sapphire Slows for an atmospheric take on his latest single “Lightweight”. You can download the track below.

“A good pop song that’s well written can withstand the altering of genres and re-arrangements, like for example a Beatles song will always sound better as a midi-ringtone as opposed to a Rolling Stones song, explains Alex Alex Zhang Hungtai (AKA Dirty Beaches)\. “When you strip away the stones swagger, the tunes diminished. But not The Beatles. Those melodies still shines right through. And Zach’s song writing is similar to that. The core of the song was a classic, well written pop tune, and it would be interesting to switch the genre.”

Singles Deluxe is a clear continuation of trajectory from Zulu Pearls’ first LP No Heroes No Honeymoons, which leans towards the bands’ pop, rock and soul. Singles Deluxe gives a glimpse into primary songwriter and Washington, D.C. native Zach Van Hoozer’s broadening scope of songwriting.

Comprised of recording session B-sides, the songs range from power pop anthems, soul-inflected reflections on lost love, full on R&B come-ons and faux philosophical grooves. Tracks on Singles Deluxe were completed loosely over time on both sides of the Atlantic while compiling songs for Zulu Pearls’ second full length with sessions in the US overseen by producer Nick Anderson in Arlington, VA’s venerable Inner Ear/Bastille Studios and the rest by Van Hoozer himself, in various living rooms and practice spaces throughout Berlin. Mixed down to tape at Berlin’s boutique, 100% analog Vox Ton Studios by Francesco Donadello (Efterklang-Piramida) and mastered by engineer Joe Laporta, the extra level of craft is immediately apparent in both the sound and the songwriting.

Tour Dates:

10/04 Berlin, DE @ Bang Bang Club

10/07 London, UK @ Old Blue Last

10/08 London, UK @ The Black Heart

11/08 Stuttgart, DE @ Popnotpop Festival

11/12 Copenhagen, DK @ Ideal Bar

Track List:

01. Safe Things

02. Lightweight

03. Boss of Your Heart

04. Not Like the Others

05. Get Free