Zand has released new single Battery Acid, serving as the first new material from their forthcoming, currently undisclosed EP. Due to arrive later this year, details about the new project will be issued soon.
At first glance, Battery Acid is an emotionally raw, simplistic ballad, but as the track progresses, the nu gen/'ugly pop' star's more obscure and less conventional stylings come in through the mix, consisting here of peculiar choral embellishments.
Battery Acid is comprised of an autobiographical telling of Zand's experience of being trapped inside an abusive relationship as a bisexual, non-binary individual.
Explaining the influence behind the song, they state: “Battery Acid is inspired by a pretty harrowing abusive situation I was in a long, long time ago. I was still openly queer and non-binary at the time, but I was not allowed to be myself.
"He was particularly threatened by my bisexuality; constantly accusing me of cheating or about to leave him for someone of any gender, when I was actually still loyal despite the abuse I was enduring. Eventually I escaped the relationship, but this song is more of a 'What if I did?' spin on that chapter of my life, because this person absolutely did not deserve my loyalty after what he put me through. In the song’s narrative, I leave for a woman.
“Bisexual people are actually more prone to intimate partner violence due to the stigma around our identities. With that being said, no matter your sexuality - what is considering ‘cheating’ can happen reactively due to abuse in an effort to escape, or an action of desperation, whatever - not because one is ‘greedy’ or ‘untrustworthy’, and although I’ve not done it myself, that’s the dynamic I’m exploring here.”
Later this year, Zand will be supporting Vukovi on their UK/EU tour in October, and will also be making an appearance at several festivals, including Rise Festival in September, and Drown U Out Festival in November.
Listen to Battery Acid below:
