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Chen’s impressive vocals on the first track ‘You (A Burden)’ (released as a single) lead us into the EP. Her voice immediately stands out as one that blends melancholy and honey-like intonations. Chen’s velvety voice is paired with a hypnotic instrumental which shifts and evolves with the emotion of the song and the layers of her vocals.
The songwriting is beautiful, making ‘You (A Burden)’ a journey of thought, like a letter penned in frustration to a burdensome lover that is never sent, or a diary entry to explore and vent out frustrations within a relationship. The lyrics are clever and punchy: “Must let go of those regrets, Or they will hold onto you”. Concise, introspective lyrics like “you keep me out of control”, the reason for leaving, paired with the reason for staying: “[you’re] truly one of a kind” echo musical influences like Arctic Monkeys and Ultraviolence era Lana Del Rey.
In Love At The Launderette, we get to see the impressive range of the band, as this is a much more playful song, a fun take on the lover’s conquest trope. Again, we have a self-contained story within the song which showcases the band’s brilliant songwriting. This song is sweeter, more indie-pop or dream-pop sounding. It’s a story of a launderette crush, with cheeky double entendre: “Our cycle is in sync” and inventive, unexpected rhymes “button // rock bottom”, “by the nose // superimposed” which add to the excitement and fresh feel of the EP.
She Makes You Look Twice is heavier, grittier. Discussing this EP, the band says: “We love the juxtaposition of something that can be both heavenly and heavy, and seek out the intersection of those opposites; the areas in-between.” The interplay between the lyrics and instruments in this song is perfect, as we hear of a mysterious woman with “something bewitching about her” and we are ourselves bewitched by the song as instruments are gradually teased and added and the beat comes in, followed by fuzzy guitars.
Hypnosis, the title track, has an ethereal sound, one which is sonically blissful. The lyrics describe feeling hypnotised by a lover, aware of their shortcomings but still drawn to them as though they are contagious. The switch from Chen’s soft, sweet singing, to her speaking is playful and delightful, followed by a dreamy guitar interlude. Pinch Me switches the mood with its upbeat sound, and Stop The Party closes the EP beautifully, with softer, sadder piano and slow drums and synth paired with melancholy lyrics and singing: “You can be lonesome in a jam packed space, always feeling out of place.”
Throughout the EP, Chen uses her voice as another instrument, adding layers of emotion to the songs. At times she talks, she whispers “are you lonely too?”, she floats over the instrumentals and harmonises with herself, and sings sweetly, more heavily, moodily, draws out her voice and lifts it higher.
Hypnosis on the whole has a delightful, chameleonic sound and feel. The emotion laden guitars are reminiscent of Jeff Buckley’s Grace and The Strokes, and the heady synths blend in a sound like that of Men I Trust or the electronic, twinkly aspects of Portishead. The production, done by themselves and James Bagshaw of Temples, is delicious. The EP is genre-defying, with aspects of psychedelia, dream pop, chamber pop, indie and garage rock.
The lyricism sketches out scenes for an immersive, cinematic sound which deals with love in all of its sweetness, allure, and pain.
Zo Lief are one to follow and watch as their new EP Hypnosis promises to seduce and hypnotise listeners worldwide. 2025 will see the band promote their new EP with a headline show at Cinetol Amsterdam on June 7th, ahead of soon to be announced touring and festival performances throughout Europe and the UK.
