Mâcon, France’s ZATO have spent the decade bubbling under the surface of the new music landscape.
Dotted around a series of singles, their fifth full-length release, Broken Faces (2022) radiated with beauty. ZATO, as much an art project as it is a traditional band, with driving forces, Celine Rigaux (vocalis / violin) and Alex Cordet vocals / guitar) putting great emphasis on the visual aspects of the band.
And it continues on ZATO’s new single, no prophet no god, which follows their 2025 single, Days-illusion. Ahead of Friday’s release of no prophet no god, exclusive to Sun 13, be the first to watch / listen below.
ZATO’s latest cut shifts the needle. A vocal trade-off between Rigaux and Cordet, no prophet no god finds the pair in a polemic mood. As its title suggests, ZATO put religion under the microscope, and why not? With a line like, “Gods invoked like butchers in the sky”) it’s a poignant snapshot that draws a line that leads to many of the world’s ills.
Sonically, no prophet no god is a shift, too. The string-laden crescendos of ZATO’s past, making way for the kind of minimal blues-rock one would associate with PJ Harvey’s early years. It’s an unexpected pivot, and knowing ZATO, it won’t be their last.
No prophet no god. Is out Friday via Osto Records. Purchase from Bandcamp.
