ZUZU - QUEENSWAY TUNNEL
Zuzu wears her heart on her sleeve throughout her debut album Queensway Tunnel as she puts her life and heart back together piece by piece, song by song.
The 12th of November was a day jampacked with sensational album releases and ZuZu's debut album Queensway Tunnel was no exception. Zuzu, one of Liverpool's biggest rising superstars, has recently made quite the name for herself touring the country with the likes of the Courteeners and Red Rum Club, writing for Cartoon Networks Adventure time, and making history by becoming the first artist in the United Kingdom to perform to a full capacity audience since the beginning of the pandemic. The title is an ode to the tunnel which connects Liverpool and Birkenhead beneath the river Mersey. Tunnels are incredibly symbolic of transformation and the same can be said about this album. The album incorporates themes of change, addiction, sci-fi, escapism, identity, community, and the protection of mental health. Each track comes together to form a collection of stories, love letters and reflections inspired by people, places, and memories.
The opening track, 'timing', perfectly encapsulates the feeling of right person wrong time. After a short psychedelic introduction, it familiarises the listener with her sound straight away: authentic, raw, high energy at every turn and unapologetically & charmingly scouse. 'Lie to myself', the second track from the record, is an incredibly honest depiction of coming out the other side of a toxic relationship and, with time, realising how unhealthy it was.
There is so much passion in the vocals of this alt-pop tune and it is evident Zuzu is singing from the heart. It is certainly a song to sing along to in your car at the very top of your lungs. It is evident that Zuzu is an exceptional storyteller with her most recent single and third song from the album 'My old life.' It is undoubtedly a deeply personal track that tells the story of accepting the pain that comes hand in hand with a breakup and using it to move forwards. It is a song that wouldn't sound out of place in a movie soundtrack. The melody is catchy, the lyrics are highly relatable, and you are sure to both sing and cry whilst listening to this track.
'Toaster' is the track that falls right in the middle of the record and has a slower tempo than the tracks which come before it. The lyrics "you know you're getting on when you get given a toaster" is perhaps one of the best lines from the entire album. It shows the listener how unhappy the thought of getting older makes her feel, which is a feeling shared by many others. The energy picks up again with 'Bevy Head' and 'Where'd You Go?’ but the lyrics and tone remain deep and emotive. The first of the album's final three tracks is 'never again', which is incredibly powerful and features strong, quickly disarming and straight to the point lyrics such as "You're a piece of shit and so are all your stupid friends." It is once again, another song to sing at the top of your lungs.
The penultimate track 'Endlessly Yours' is a sonically romantic-sounding love song: the polar opposite of 'Never Again.' It creates a warm feeling inside your chest and feels hopeful when played after tracks such as 'My Old LIfe' and 'Never Again.’
Like the entirety of the album, the lyrics are candid and open, which is what makes it so beautiful. The final and title track of the album 'Queensway Tunnel' is perfectly situated. It tells the story of Zuzu vanishing into the tunnel to begin a new life which could be interpreted as a metaphor for moving on from a terrible and toxic relationship. It feels like the ending of a very poignant and significant chapter of Zuzu's life.
The stories told in this album feel incredibly therapeutic for not just Zuzu but the listener too due to their familiarity. She wears her heart on her sleeve throughout the album as she puts her life and heart back together piece by piece, song by song.
Rachel Wonders
★★★★☆