Jammerzine has an exclusive interview with Zabus, aka multi-instrumentalist Jeremy Moore. Having just dropped his new album, the latest in three months, titled ‘The Future Of Death’, Zabus solidifies the foothold of a solid and signature sound that took a lifetime in the making.
As Jeremy adds another notch on his resume, having already done so with previous projects Saccharine Underground, Zero Swann, Gorazde, and Thee Rise Ov Sadistic Youth, there is a clear evolution of revolution of not only music, but art and creativity itself.
In this interview, we talk with Jeremy about the foundations and evolution of Zabus, the modern independent music scene, and much, much more.
About Zabus
Washington D.C.’s Zabus have just released their second album in just three months, following January 2024’s debut, Topography of Iconoclasm. The new album, The Future of Death, sees the addition of drums and electronic percussion, and a focus on more conventional song structures and melodies, influenced by early ‘80s UK post-punk and proto-goth. However, sonic experimentalism remains at the core of the band.
Formed in 2023, as part of the Washington D.C. artist collective and recording label Saccharine Underground, Zabus is the brainchild of writer and multi-instrumentalist, Jeremy Moore. Joined in Zabus by collaborators from Moore’s previous projects, Zero Swann and Gorazde, Zabus maintains those earlier projects’ foundations in dark existentialism, whilst opening up broader avenues for musical experimentation and expressions of hope.
The new album, The Future of Death is the second long-player from Zabus in just three months, following January 2024’s debut offering, Topography of Iconoclasm.
Based between Washington D.C. and Bethesda, Maryland, Jeremy Moore is the founder and curator of D.C. label and nonprofit artist collective, Saccharine Underground: home to several projects helmed by Moore. These include deathrock band Thee Rise Ov Sadistic Youth; free improv / psychedelic outfit Zero Swann; and the experimental dark ambient group Gorazde.
Zabus is the offspring and natural successor to the latter two bands, combining members and musical elements from both.
The Future of Death sees Jeremy Moore (voice, guitars, 4 string bass, synthesis) joined by Saccharine Underground contributors Peter Hallock of Gorazde (6 string bass) and Alkane Shimizu of Zero Swann (strings, synthesis) – both of whom also appear on Topography of Iconoclasm – together with Jeroen Achterberg, who introduces drums and electronic percussion to the Zabus sonic milieu.
Stylistically, the album borrows heavily from the gothic and UK post-punk sound of the early 1980s, with obvious nods to The Chameleons, Bauhaus, early New Order and The Sisters of Mercy. The new album deviates significantly from the debut Topography of Iconoclasm, with a stronger emphasis on traditional song structure and melody, all anchored by a prominent rhythm section. The synths play a dual role, serving as both a background textural element and a precision melodic tool to complement the guitars. Experimentation and dark romanticism remain at the core of the band’s sound, and despite a more accessible approach to the album’s eight tracks, The Future of Death continues the Zabus trajectory sparked by their debut.
Recorded at S.V. Studios, D.C., The Future of Death was engineered by Andy Baldwin (Metropolis Studios) and produced by Zabus, with artwork designed by Ava Agosti and Jeremy Moore.
LINKS:
https://zabus.bandcamp.com/
https://twitter.com/zabusmusic