Indie rock continues to hold strong as one of the more prominent sub-genres within Indie/Alternative, and with new artists like Julia Shapiro coming out with albums like Zorked, it’s not at all hard to see why. This album embodies indie, musically, lyrically, and the overall feel of the album. Because this album is based on Shapiro’s experiences through quarantine, there isn’t just one theme that follows throughout the whole album. Each song has a slightly different vibe to it and the album weaves through many aspects of indie rock, including garage rock, psychedelia, and even nearing indie folk on some tracks. If you’re looking for an album that gives you a taste of lots of different genres, I definitely suggest looking to Zorked.
The album opens on the more psychedelic/prog-rock side with tracks “Death (XIII)” and “Come with Me.” Both focus mainly on guitar and affected vocals. “Come with Me” is on the lighter side with a rhythmic guitar, but still has a haunting feel to it and picks up as the song goes on, adding in more and more layers. “Death (XIII)” has a heavier guitar pushing the song along and a bass line that adds even more depth to the already complex music. The next two tracks, “Wrong Time” and “Someone” focus on Shapiro’s vocals more and have a more upbeat feel to them, though the lyrics seem to counter that, both focusing on heavier subjects like failed relationships and being at the “worst place at the wrong time.” The next shift comes with the song “Reptile! Reptile!” which is almost entirely instrumental with Shapiro whisper-singing in the back. “Pure Bliss,” and “Do Nothing About It” carry some of the same themes as the rest of the album, more similar to “Wrong Time” and “Someone.” “Hellscape” is probably the song that stands out most, sounding more indie folk than the rest of the album with the help of an acoustic guitar and very little editing to Shapiro’s voice. The last two tracks on the album, “Zorked” and “Hall of Mirrors” work to tie the album up really nicely. “Zorked” incorporates some of the heavier elements from the early songs, but still keeps it light and upbeat. “Hall of Mirrors” follows more closely with “Hellscape,” a much slower and emotional song than many of the others on the album seem to be.
Overall, this is a really great album that features everything we all love about indie music. While there isn’t one thing that makes this album “indie,” all the elements that are mixed into the album give it that feel. It’s clear that Julia Shapiro put a lot of hard work into this album and definitely deserves your full attention while listening to it. Once you’ve given it that, it’s also a great album to just put on while you’re chilling out, doing homework, or just want to have some really cool music playing in your house.
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