Iona Zajac // Bang

A stunningly raw debut from a rapidly rising star

★★★★☆ (4.5/5)

Scottish artist Iona Zajac has been busy indeed. Currently standing in as the touring vocalist and harpist for iconic band The Pogues she has also found time to work on her own solo material and to write her debut album. This stunning debut takes the form of “Bang”, an uncompromising project that wrestles with the realities of womanhood and modernity.

The atmospheric “Bowls” opens the album with a suspenseful drumbeat that feels ready to break free at any moment. Lyrically the song laments violence against women, with the apprehensive instrumentation building a suitably sombre tone.

While title track “Bang” is a sunnier-sounding cut of indie-rock that showcases Zajac’s playful and surreal lyrical flair alongside vibrant melodies. The song is a playful exploration of carnal catharsis, and this theme of sexual freedom and reclamation can be heard across the album.

Sonically, the record alternates between a haunting sense of dread and desperation with tones of empowerment and resilience. This can be felt in the wide range of sonic palettes and musical inspirations that pervade the album. Which at one minute is whisper quiet in prayer and the next is bombastically strutting through anthemic revelry.

Image: Carys Huws

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Examining the mechanics of toxic men and relationships, “Anton” sees Zajac reprimand the ghosts of these men who haunted her formative years. As the song progresses the lyrics become increasingly cutting before the track breaks down into a raw expression of anger as these feelings coalesce into a frenzy of guitars, feedback and screams.

On “Murder Mystery” Zajac indulges in the surreal once again as she uses this as a vector to examine the everyday fears that women experience. As on much of the album, the song is both contemplative and defiant as she confronts distinctly uncomfortable topics.

Closing the album, “Loving is Rough” encapsulates many of the wider themes on the album. A sparse piano arrangement allows Zajac’s heartbreaking vocals to take centre stage before a hauntingly dark gospel crescendo draws the curtain on the album.

With shades of light and dark across a debut album that is both cathartic and empowering, “Bang” looks to be the opening salvo from an artist firing on all cylinders.

Purchase Iona Zajac’s music and view her tour dates: Here

Review By: Sam McNaughton