Start Listening To: zouz
Montreal noise-rock trio zouz on fire, fury, and finding clarity through chaos.
On Jours de cendre, their blistering second album, Montreal trio zouz lean into distortion and disorientation with precision and purpose. Drawing on the raw energy of noise rock and the edge of experimental hip hop, the band balance wild intensity with tightly structured composition. Ahead of their return to the UK, they talk to us about live performance, fire imagery, their Montreal roots and vanilla ice cream.
For those unfamiliar with your music, can you tell us who you are, where you’re from and about the music you make?
Hello. We are zouz, a noise rock trio from Montreal, Canada. Our music is a raw and visceral exploration of the darker sides of rock, though sometimes our songs are kind of happy. Some people say our music is a bit complicated. Well, I guess that’s true, sometimes.
How did the three of you first come together as a band?
Francis (drummer) and Étienne (bassist) are originally from small towns in southern Quebec. They met through the local music scene as late teenagers. I’m David, the singer and guitar player, and I met Étienne in 2014 while we were working at the Jean Talon food market in Montreal, selling rare spices and fancy cheeses. We became friends and started playing and writing music together. It was fun. A few years later, we were a band.
Your second album Jours de cendre feels like a bold and visceral evolution. What was your headspace going into the writing and recording process?
We wanted to create a bunch of songs that felt raw, fast, furious, and heavy, like a burning fire. At the same time, we were listening to a lot of experimental hip hop, like Danny Brown. The original idea was to take some of those wild, experimental hip hop sounds (and music production tricks) and adapt them to a modern rock environment.
Noise rock can often be chaotic, but your sound also feels sharply composed. How do you balance complexity and rawness when creating music?
I think the way we approach music in zouz is that the musical idea has to be mostly written and “set,” but the way we play it, the interpretation, carries all the wild chaos that makes it sound interesting and different.
The title Jours de cendre (Days of Ash) evokes a pretty intense image. What does it represent to you in the context of the album?
It’s a bit of a play on words, Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, and the idea of the morning after a wildfire. There were a lot of wildfires while we were writing and recording the album. There still are. Some songs are fast, furious, and heavy, like a burning fire. Others are more intellectually dense and feel ascetic to me : that’s the Lent.
How did recording this album compare to your debut? Did you approach anything differently, whether creatively or technically?
We wanted to make a live record, just the three of us playing together, without corrections or fancy digital tricks. Rather than aiming for perfection, we wanted something that sounded raw, untamed, and real. Also, most of the songs on Jours de cendre felt a lot darker than the ones on Vertiges (2021). Maybe we were just a little more sensitive to the times we’re living in than we were on our first record.
Your live shows have a reputation for being fiercely energetic. How important is live performance to zouz and how does the stage inform the way you write music?
I think that our music really comes alive on stage. Since the beginning of the band, our shows have been central in our identity. We have an enormous amount of fun playing music together.
Montreal has a long history of experimental and boundary-pushing music. How has the city and its scene shaped your identity as a band?
Montreal, one of the last major North American cities with almost-affordable rent, has attracted artists from all over for decades. Since the cost of living isn’t too high, artists can devote a lot of time to their craft. That’s how a lot of them get really good and interesting.
The music communities in Montreal are incredibly diverse and vibrant. As a Montreal band, we’ve always felt quality of the bands surrounding us was really strong and it has motivated us to get, play, write and improve.
Do any specific songs on Jours de cendre feel especially personal or pivotal to the band’s current direction?
I like Messie. It’s dark, it grooves, and it’s just the right amount of complicated. It represents where we are at, and where we are going.
What’s a part of the zouz process or sound that you think people don’t always notice but is crucial to who you are?
Hmm, probably the lyrics.
You performed at this year's Quebec Spring in the UK. Can you give us a few words about Quebec Spring and what it means to be part of this year’s addition?
Québec Spring gives Québécois bands the opportunity to connect with industry professionals from the UK. It’s a great opportunity that can lead to many other opportunities. Being part of this year’s addition was an honor. Plus, we get to have some great time in London and Brighton. That’s not bad. Not bad at all.
What are you looking forward to about performing in the UK?
We’re looking to meet new people, new fans, new bands, everything. This new journey in the UK is really exciting for us. We love playing all over Québec, but there’s something special about sharing our music in other countries, with new audiences. We love playing in Europe, and we love the UK.
What can British fans expect from your live shows?
A good francophone rock trio that truly gives everything emotionally, musically, and physically.
What do you love right now?
Vanilla ice cream dipped into salted caramel.
What do you hate right now?
A lot of things. The news has been pretty grim lately.
Name an album you’re still listening to from when you were younger and why it’s still important to you?
In the Court of the Crimson King, by King Crimson. My dad had the vinyl, and I remember being truly intrigued by that huge screaming face on the cover. I also remember the first 30 seconds of the opening track, where nothing seems to happen. And then, boom.
What’s next for zouz this year and what do you hope listeners take away from Jours de cendre?
We’re playing a lot of music festivals in Québec this summer, and we’ll be heading back to Europe in the fall. We’re also working on our third album.
I hope listeners find that Jours de cendre helps them cope with all the really tough things happening lately. To me, it’s a good record to listen to when you’re angry.
