There’s something happening on the west coast. Whether it’s in the air, the water, or the drugs, a pool of talent has formed around the notion that you can have your pop and eat it too, with brainy, prog-influenced weird-beards like Bend Sinister and arcane psycho-confectioners Mother Mother demonstrating that musical complexity can still be hummable. Commercial, even.
Throw the Zolas into the picture and dammit – you might even call it a scene! Not that it’s ever been a concern to long-term musical partners Zach Gray and Tom Dobrzanski, who established their gifts for intricate songcraft three years ago under the name Lotus Child.
Since then, the duo has finessed its formula into something even busier yet no less direct, filling their new album Tic Toc Tic with hairpin turns, schizoid tonal shifts, multiple parts, and a sort of cabaret strut.
Miraculously, between New Pornographers vet Howard Redekopp’s unfinicky production and the clarity of Gray and Dobrzanski’s vision, Tic Toc Tic works like a charm. Complex without being alienating, it aims equally and with dead-eyed precision for the head, heart, and groin.
Guitarist-vocalist Gray hits on the twin poles that define Tic Toc Tic when he reveals an equal passion for the visceral Scandinavian dream pop of Mew, whose influence is obvious, and the classic music hall rag of the Kinks, whose influence is anything but. Not on first listen, anyway, though the presence of Ray Davies is felt in Gray’s lyrics. Particularly when he turns his attention to the mundane, like the character in “You’re Too Cool” who wrestles with his vulnerability at Vancouver’s hipster HQ the Biltmore. Or the confessional “Body Ash”, which documents a relationship on the ropes. The directness of its sentiment echoes what Gray describes as Davies’ “populism”.
“The first words in ‘Body Ash’ are ‘my balls’,” he laughs. “Literally. I’m not hiding behind any metaphors.” Soundwise, Gray says he was aiming for “self-conscious Jeff Buckley”, which also goes some way towards describing a lot of the music on Tic Toc Tic.
Boxing the listener with their virtuosity right off the top, opener “You’re Too Cool” is six minutes of fortified waltz-time piano dissolving into what Gray characterizes as an “anti-chorus”. “The Great Collapse” is swaggering and deceptively sunny power-pop for apocalyptic future scenarios. “Marlaina Kamikaze” bounces between big band stickwork from drummer Ali Siadat, braying trumpet, and a decadent stride-piano breakdown.
Meanwhile, “You Better Watch Out” has Gray anguishing over a cute girl on a bus while cascading piano arpeggios and Aidan Knight’s hyperactive bass push his suffering to operatic levels of high drama. “Queen of Relax” is featherlite prog, and “Cab Driver” somehow contrives to be both the most straightforward number on Tic Toc Tic, and the most demanding. “It’s the most fun to play,” says Dobrzanski, who caps the song with a libidinous boogie-woogie throwdown sizzling enough to give “Honky Cat” era Elton a case of pianist envy. “It’s a rock-out,” he continues. “I like the athleticism involved in parts of it. It’s actually work.”
If “Cab Driver” finds the Zolas in an almost conventional mood, “I’ve Got Leeches” and album closer “Pyramid Scheme” both explore the fringes of the songwriting team’s expanding universe. Gray describes the first as “baroque” and “Bowie-esque”, while the latter, he admits perhaps a little freely, “is the track where we don’t care if anyone ever listens to it.” As such, it includes what Gray calls “a vaguely Maori, haunted house, war chant section.” Deadpans Dobrzanski, “That moment might come across as a bit out there.”
In truth, Tic Toc Tic is a little out there from bar one to its closing outburst of unbound inspiration. Perhaps it has something to do with the duo’s seasoned friendship – they met as choirboys in Grade 9 – or a working relationship that begins with Gray broadstroking ideas and passing them along to Dobrzanski, his classical musically inclined “details guy”.
Whatever alchemical thing lies beneath the sparkling progressive pop of Tic Toc Tic, the partnership has made its great leap forward. It’s our job to catch up. And we should consider it a pleasure.
Get Dark
The Zolas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who knows when he comes home tonight
Hot breath, Toronto
Let's get lost again underneath the glow
High heels hopskotch the street car lines
Hear the delay decaying
Text threads fraying
It makes me
Down for getting dark ′cause the dark gets me
And all the other lovers make it so heavy
Takes a little emptiness to feel complete
When crowds come ever thicker and liquor it comes free
(Feeling down, together driving through a lightning storm,
Oh, oh, oh)
Drums within my head
Feel most alive when my phone is dead
All my true friends are within reach
Cold breath, Toronto
We go bar to bar through underground tunnels
Meet up for breakfast for the autopsy
Hear the delay decaying
Text threads fraying
Home feels so far away
It makes me
Down for getting dark 'cause the dark gets me
And all the other lovers make it so heavy
Takes a little emptiness to feel complete
When crowds come ever thicker and liquor it comes free
(Down for getting dark 'cause the dark gets me
All the other lovers make it so heavy
Takes a little emptiness to feel complete
When crowds come ever thicker and liquor it comes free)
Down for getting dark ′cause the dark gets me
And all the other lovers make it so heavy
Takes a little emptiness to feel complete
When crowds come ever thicker and liquor it comes free
Down for getting dark ′cause the dark gets me
And all the other lovers make it so heavy
Takes a little emptiness to feel complete
When crowds come ever thicker and liquor it comes free
(Down for getting dark 'cause the dark gets me
All the other lovers make it so heavy
Takes a little emptiness to feel complete
When crowds come ever thicker and liquor it comes free)
The lyrics of "Get Dark" by The Zolas paint a vivid picture of urban nightlife, specifically in the city of Toronto. The first verse establishes a location on King Street, where the singer, Kelly, is at the pharmacy as night falls. The uncertainty of his return home implies a lack of responsibility, which is juxtaposed with the bustling cityscape in the chorus. The singer seeks refuge from the stresses of the music scene by immersing themselves in the physical darkness, as well as a metaphorical emptiness that they embrace to feel complete. The repeated lines "Down for getting dark 'cause the dark gets me" and "all the other lovers make it so heavy" reiterate the joy and release found in losing oneself in nightlife without the constraints of relationships and societal expectations.
As the narrative progresses, the lyrics delve deeper into the sense of community and belonging that can be found in underground tunnels and during post-party breakfasts. The repeated refrain of "hear the delay decaying, text threads fraying, home feels so far away, it makes me" again grounds the song in the anxieties of modern life, but ultimately presents the solution of getting lost in the night. The idea of "cold breath" may be a reference to the harsh Canadian winters, but also emphasizes being present in the moment and experiencing the physical sensations of the night.
Overall, "Get Dark" captures the dizzying highs and lows of nightlife, as well as the desire to escape and find a deeper connection with oneself.
Line by Line Meaning
Down on King Street, Kelly's getting dark at the pharmacy
The singer is observing Kelly on a street in Toronto, who appears to be at the pharmacy even though it is getting late.
Who knows when he comes home tonight
The singer is uncertain of when Kelly will arrive back home.
Hot breath, Toronto
The atmosphere in Toronto is intense and overwhelming.
Let's get lost again underneath the glow
The artist invites their companion to wander aimlessly and enjoy the lights of the city.
High heels hopskotch the street car lines
The sound of someone walking in high heels can be heard crossing over the streetcar tracks.
Hear the delay decaying
The singer is experiencing delayed responses and poor communication.
Text threads fraying
The singer's phone conversations are becoming disorganized and tense.
Home feels so far away
The artist is experiencing a sense of distance from their place of comfort and familiarity.
It makes me
The artist is experiencing a deep emotional response to their current surroundings and stressors.
Down for getting dark 'cause the dark gets me
The artist finds solace in the darkness and the anonymity it provides.
And all the other lovers make it so heavy
The weight of other people's emotions and relationships is burdensome for the singer.
Takes a little emptiness to feel complete
The artist finds fulfillment in moments of emptiness and detachment.
When crowds come ever thicker and liquor it comes free
The singer describes the chaotic environment of crowded bars where alcohol is abundant and easily obtained.
(Feeling down, together driving through a lightning storm, Oh, oh, oh)
The singer and their companion are in a car together during a thunderstorm, feeling down and lost.
Drums within my head
The singer's thoughts and emotions feel overwhelming and loud, like the sound of drums.
Feel most alive when my phone is dead
The artist feels more present and engaged in the world around them when they disconnect from technology.
All my true friends are within reach
The artist believes their true friends are those who are accessible and present in their life.
Cold breath, Toronto
The atmosphere in Toronto is described as cold and unwelcoming.
We go bar to bar through underground tunnels
The singer and their companion are exploring different bars and venues throughout the city via underground pathways.
Meet up for breakfast for the autopsy
The artist and their companion plan to meet the next morning for breakfast and debriefing after their night out.
(Down for getting dark 'cause the dark gets me
Repeating previous sentiment, the artist finds comfort in the darkness and anonymity.
All the other lovers make it so heavy
Other people's emotions and relationships continue to burden the artist.
Takes a little emptiness to feel complete
The singer continues to find fulfillment in moments of detachment.
When crowds come ever thicker and liquor it comes free)
The chaotic environment of crowded bars continues to be a source of distress for the artist.
Writer(s): Zachary Miller Gray, Cody James Hiles, Tom Dobrzanski, Dwight James Abell
Contributed by Landon C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Shay
Possibly my favorite song on this record. But it's hard to pick because they're all so good.
LightOrganRecords
Feeling you on this!
Jordan Osz
Man this song is magical... That fucking chorus though!
Lemonygreen78
This is such a bop!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Diana B
Love these guys ❤ The whole album is amazing!
Tom Langford
Really hoping one day they can come to the UK.
vietcongbae
Luv this
Katherine Trainor
I'm going to miss the tic toc tic sound way too much. But I can get down with this
TheShakey99
why don't people become obsessed with this when I play it?
Charles Morin
Spotify brought me here. Awesome song and beat!