Zenari – Soul Support (Album Review)

In today’s review, we will chance upon an intriguing band named Zenari. Zenari is a groovy, original indie rock band with a message that makes your heart soar. Hailing primarily from Boulder, Colorado, the main songwriter of the group, Alex Wirth, puts his professional background in the healing arts to work in his lifelong effort to imbue his music with hard-won life lessons and calls for justice. Their songs are intended to be a refreshing embrace of magic and power, filling your heart with joy and deep healing.

Their latest release, ‘Soul Support’, will be released on Saturday, May 31st to all major streaming platforms, with their album release party in their hometown of Boulder, CO.

The general tone of the album combines an essence of ‘determined’, wholesome music usually employed in acts like Tears for Fears in the 80s, mixed with a lot of aspects of a multivariate understanding of rock and folk, mixed into one, with slight indie undertones. The songs within the album are quite unique in the sense that it does not stick to a monotonous interpretation of music, sometimes blending into funk and sometimes employing techniques of operatic pop.

It is an emotional album, but it reminds me of the range of emotions that the hippies used to portray within their music. It’s not a derogatory statement, but rather a feeling that characterises the album from the lyrics to the musicology of the notes and the melodies chosen, making it where it has a groovy vibe to it. I think if you’re into a large range of acts under the ‘rock’ umbrella, from Weezer to OneRepublic (specifically pop-rock), this album will definitely fit your palate.

Personally, I’d compare the songs in the album to a local Singaporean indie act called ‘Stopgap’, known for a slight angsty and indie sound. It’s not necessarily generic per se, but there is a predictability to the structure in the songs. There’s a similarity in the mixture of chaos and carefreeness expressed within the emotional tone of the songs written. It also has a very intimate feel to it, perfect for those who don’t prefer the hyper-produced aesthetic of other genres.

I think if other audiences were to be attuned to this album, it would be wise to fuse other genres that are not directly parallel to the mix of genres within this album- perhaps even the polar opposite, as the branding and intent behind the sound, lyrics and execution all seem all too consistent. In music, a piece of musical variability either deals with connection or excitation, and it’s hard for me to interpret that from this work.

Overall, I think it’s a decent ‘mid-range’ album. If you’re not otherwise hip to this particular genre, it will stick out with its perfect mastering and general high quality within the tracks even if you don’t have a personal bias for such music. All of the intrinsic elements within each of the songs are very well-balanced, a sign of quality work and intent.

If you DO have a soft spot for genres like these, I think this album will definitely come off as a rose amongst the thorns- an act filled with chill, emotional licks mixed with theatrical and sombre undertones.

Score/Good: ‘Soul Support’ does live up to its moniker, infusing slight blips of soul music with blues and other forms of rock to create a product that gives you a sense of nostalgia, a cinematic feel, and relatable mid-2000s indie rock music. The mastering is adequate, and the vocals presented within the album are decent.

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