Chrysalis, the third album from Zanias, is an epic piece of work. It is an album that is hard to categorise, with an electronic sheen, pop hooks and a gothic feel. It is also one of those rare records that work its way under your skin, a record I have found myself returning to time and again over the last few weeks.
Zanias is the alter ego of Alison Lewis, formerly of minimal synth duo Linea Aspera. However there is nothing minimal about Chrysalis, it is full and sumptuous with a strong electronic backbone and Lewis’ incredible vocals. It is an album that brims with the confidence of an artist knowing the are making incredible music.
Opening track Simulation lays out Zanias’ stall very quickly, with a pop hook played on a keyboard before pounding beats kick in and Lewis’ vocals make the song soar. It is uplifting and ambitious and deserves to be heard by as wide an audience as possible.
Every track on Chrysalis is expansive and emotive, expect this album to take off and take Zanias to the wider audience they so obviously deserve.
Currently on tour, Zanias took the time to take part in a 13 Questions piece. Read on to find out more about violence as a part of human existence, modest psychedelics and the enshittification of the Internet.
1. Where are you and what are you doing?
Alison Lewis: “I’m at home in Berlin recovering from a pretty wild year and grappling with how to make sense of one of the most beautiful and strange surprises I’ve had in a long, long time.”
2. When did you last make yourself do something you didn’t want to?
AL: “Basically every day when I get out of bed there’s a strong resistance I need to overcome. I find the transition from sleeping to waking life very difficult. My dreams can feel more real than reality, and are often a lot more exciting.”
In Conversation with Bonnacons of Doom
3. When did you last get into an argument?
AL:“It wasn’t exactly an argument, but I had a good debate about whether violence is an inevitable part of human existence. I very strongly believe that it is not”.
4. What is your earliest memory?
AL: “Lying on my back watching TV while sucking on a coin, tasting the metal in my mouth, then realising I can’t breathe.”
5. What is the last album you listened to?
AL: “Ethel Cain’s Preacher’s Daughter, which I’ve been rinsing all year.”
6. When did you last consider quitting social media?
AL: “During Covid it became way more of a hindrance than a help and I wished I could just quit everything. Today I’d only consider quitting if we had another way of reaching one another. The connection is so important, but we’ve become dependent on a really crappy version of that connection. I really hope we can figure out a solution, and soon. The enshittification of the internet in its current iteration is getting out of hand”.
Visual Space: In Conversation with Luggage’s Michael Vallera
7. What’s the best night out you’ve ever had?
AL: “Having lived 10 years in Berlin and experiencing nightlife all around the world as part of my job, it’s hard to pick just one. I can describe what they mostly have in common though: my best friends, a modest selection of psychedelics, a good sound system and music that moves my body in all the right ways. Dancing with friends is a vital element in maintaining my mental health”.
8. Vinyl, CD, MP3 or Streaming?
AL: “It’s so hard to choose one, because every format has its advantages and drawbacks. Physical media is nice to hold, and it forces you to really appreciate the songs a little more, since they’re in this finite form. The ease of streaming is wonderful but then we become so spoilt for choice that it’s hard to really focus our attention. Well made music deserves our attention and appreciation. Even the mp3 era led to me taking music a little more for granted. When they first proliferated I was obsessed with building the vastest collection possible so that I could have everything at my fingertips, but at least put a bit more effort into curating playlists. I try to use Bandcamp for listening more often now, but ultimately… streaming is where the convenience lies, and it’s what I personally use most these days”.
9. When were you last told off?
AL: “I don’t really get told off. When people try to, it doesn’t go down very well”.
10. What is your favourite view?
AL: “The view over Point Roadknight beach in Australia from the clifftops, out to the point break where perfectly formed waves peel off the limestone outcrop and roll into shore.”
11. When did you last shout at the TV?
AL: “I don’t have a TV. I won’t often raise my voice at my phone, but I do mutter under my breath at the awful things going on in the world right now.”
12. What was your first gig?
AL: “That I played or that I attended? The first that I played was a little band night at my school in Malaysia. I didn’t have a band so my older sister enlisted some of her friends to learn some songs and play drums and bass while I played guitar and sang. I’m so glad no footage of this exists.”
13. Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions. Is there anything else you’d like to say?
AL: “I just really hope anyone reading this is using their voice to oppose the current genocide in Palestine, and understands that we hold so much more power than we know to change the world. And at this point, we must change the world. Things cannot continue like this any longer.”
Chrysalis it out now via Fleisch Records. Purchase from Bandcamp here.