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In April, Zoh Amba announced their Matador debut album Eyes Full, out June 5th, an album of tough and soulful songs that feel like a pure transmission from the heart.
Following a recent sold out headline show at New York’s Nightclub 101 and performing in Coachella as part of Iggy Pop’s band, Zoh Amba today also announces a run of UK, European and US headline and festival dates. Eyes Full is distinctly tied to Zoh’s hometown of Kingsport, Tennessee and the rediscovery of their first instrument, the guitar. The album blends acoustic blues, electric guitar and Appalachian folk, marking a remarkable turn for an artist who has already become one of the most exciting saxophonists to emerge from NYC’s avant-garde scene.
In music, Amba is always striving for greater proximity to the divine. Every song circles the idea of seeing and being seen, focusing on the lives of working-class people in small towns searching for salvation.
Raised in the mountain towns of Tennessee, they left at seventeen for San Francisco, then moved to New York City. Yet no matter how far they traveled, home always caught up to them. Though Amba had long believed instrumental music could reach transcendence, words eventually pushed their way in. The guitar became a way to confront darker memories, singing their way through them and back to Kingsport.
Each song on Eyes Full is character-driven, from the kid benumbed by medication to the weed-eating man who plays hide-and-seek with God — an act of love for people often overlooked. The record was tracked live with Kevin Hyland (electric guitar) and Jim White (drums), after extensive rehearsal to build a tight, interconnected sound.
The music moves between abrasion and gentleness, with a voice that can be both fiery and tender.
Eyes Full is a lesson in how to stay open to the universe and to others, restoring dignity to those often pushed to the margins and insisting on attention, empathy, and presence.