Busy with People by Zoos of Berlin

Songwriting from the garage rock revival and production from the lo-fi era join forces to create Busy with People by Zoos of Berlin, a deep, brooding indie record that stacks layers of distortion upon their pop sensibilities. At times, the music sounds like it’s coming from another room, with drums compressed and distorted so severely as to lie flat in the bottom of the mix. However, the occasional distorted guitar or lo-fi synth pierces through the mix, flying out of our speakers and staring us down from inches away. Suddenly, each production choice on the record makes sense; the distance keeps us from cozying up from this vocalist who oozes with undeniable personality, upholding a degree of mystique between us and this elusive band. Instrumental performances and vocal delivery drenched in emotion struggle to break free of their compressed prison, laughing in the face of the loudness wars as they use all of modern production’s shortcomings to create something oddly present and unforgettable. By constraining themselves, Zoos of Berlin elevate their outbursts to catharsis, their desires to desperation, their screams to deathrattles.