For former IV of Spades bassist Zild, his second album ‘Huminga’ is more than just a solo album: document of a growing songwriter.
But to the IV of Spades bassist, the exercise has more to do with immediacy: the mad dash to get things done while he still has love for the project
Zild’s solo debut was a deliberately synthetic reaction to his band IV Of Spades.
His second album ‘Huminga’ is more him, he says – a document of a growing songwriter.
Zild's second solo album 'Huminga' from Zild/Twitter
Zild is aware: putting out consecutive records not quite a half-year apart would inevitably lead to invocations of Taylor Swift’s sister albums ‘Folklore’ and ‘Evermore’.
But to the IV Of Spades bassist, the exercise has more to do with immediacy: the mad dash to get things done while he still has love for the project.
Otherwise, he says, “When something’s done, it’s done – and I’ll tire of it almost right away.”
As a result of this mad dash, the world will have ‘Huminga’, released today as the follow-up to his well-received 2020 debut ‘Homework Machine’.
A few singles in, listeners are finding more differences than similarities.
“This time around, I feel like I touched on experiences I haven’t tapped for material before: specific stories like experiencing love for the first time, growing apart from your friends, isolation,” the 23-year-old musician shares.
This more grounded new material, naturally, begs for earthier musicality: steel and nylon acoustics, twelve-string janglers, moptop-era Hofners, Hal Blaine-worthy drumming, tasteful slide work.
These are the sounds Zild heard in the music of his youth, and also the music of his forebears: John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’, Cynthia Alexander’s ‘Insomnia’ (whose slide player, the legendary axeman Noel Mendez, he enlisted for ‘Huminga’), Neil Young’s ‘Heart Of Gold’.
While fans may be used to IVOS-style flash or ‘Homework’-era theatre, they might need to start acclimating to the Zild of ‘Huminga’, which presents a homier, more unadulterated iteration of the musician.
“I feel like ‘Huminga’ is more me. ‘Homework Machine’ was really more of a novelty for me, but ‘Huminga’ is more about me and my songs,” he stresses.
For Zild, this newly reclaimed sense of self also means chasing pursuits outside writing, performing, and recording music.
A break, he says, is in order. “I’m planning to learn pottery, finalize my turntable setup, get back to reading – maybe bleach or shave my hair,” he says.
Anything, he insists, that will force him to take it slow.
“This year, I plan to listen more and say less.”
‘Huminga’ is out today on all music streaming platforms.
(NP)
Tags: #music, #OPM, #Zild, #IVofSpades