Zola Jesus: Arkhon | 4ZZZ Brisbane 102.1FM

- When Nika Roza Danilova, stagename Zola Jesus, emerged at the turn of the 2010s, she immediately revealed herself as a fascinating artist with a unique take on darkwave and gothic pop. Her subsequent records saw her expand her musical palette, adding an array of textures and atmospheres to her often thunderous yet soaring, melodic vocals. New album Arkhon continues this exciting performer’s expedition into uncharted musical territory, maintaining her dark, nouveau-Banshees atmosphere, but with enough new twists to ensure Zola isn’t merely coasting along in “reliable goth” mode. Check out latest single Into The Wild, in which the performer emotes behind cicada buzz and towering synths; the crush of electronics and the omnipresent drone of nature sharing airtime. She reminds the listener of Kate Bush, circa The Dreaming, in the tribalistic synth pop of opener Lost.

Compared with previous albums, Arkhon boasts a wider musical and vocal range – Zola’s dramatic wail is still there, but tempered with quieter and higher vocal tones, while the music combines the expected industrial darkness with more organic strings and percussion. The brief Dead & Gone is a near-orchestral tone poem, dark but comforting. Sewn could almost be a Killing Joke track, brows furrowed under thunderous, hi-tech rock & roll, complete with stomping backbeat. Reznorheads would be at home here. Album closer Do That Anymore ends on a slightly less stormy post-punk note, indicating that Zola Jesus sees personal growth through the fog of 2022 angst. Like much of her material beforehand, Arkhon is that rarest of beasts, an art-pop record that is as heavy as it is melodic. The soundscapes are diverse, but these drones, wails and stabs of rhythm are frequently turned up to eleven. What is surprising is how life affirming this whole din ends up being.

- Matt Thrower.