VS Self's Closet Witch Future...Ed

January 08, 2024 by David Norman

Okay lotsa stuff going on in January, here’s the schedule for the next week:
Monday = Closet Witch music video
Tuesday = Our Future Is An Absolute Shadow music video
Wednesday = Carrion Spring tape promo pics
Thursday = Our Future Is An Absolute Shadow cover/tracklist
Friday = ZBR Fest 2024 Wave #3
Saturday = Tristan Tzara ‘Discography’ digital release
Monday = Our Future Is An Absolute Shadow ‘LP’ 12” release
Tuesday = Edhochuli single

This past Saturday we released the VS Self tapes with the Canada/International store and Bandcamp pages being gutted almost immediately. The US store still has a fair amount of copies so snag some from there! All links are available through our Bandcamp page embedded below.

There was another Closet Witch music video, this new one features a bunch of live footage over the song “Constantly Problematic”. It’s less than a minute of your time and ‘Chiaroscuro’ was on almost every grind/screamo list that we saw, so feel free to pick up a copy below.

Not Just A Phase helped us out again with the Spotify playlist, so check it out below if you want the heftiest dose of ZBR on the internet. Click on this text or the pic above to go to the playlist.

No Heirloom got some much deserved love on Stereogum. We’re running low on these beauties /50 so hop on it! Click on this text or the pic above for the review, jam it below.

Operation X-Ray did an amazing job with their Best Of Screamo/Skramz 2023 and features a ton of artists, including a hefty handfull of our own. Jam it below (noise rock stuff is first, screamo is a little past halfway thru).

Blind Girls ‘Residue’ is on the heels of a repress from No Funeral (we got some copies too) on the This Noise Is Ours Zegema Beach Roster Review series. We still have some copies of the follow-up ‘The Weight is Everything’. Click on this text or the pic above to go to the review, jam it below!

Othiel’s debut 12”LP ‘We Will Be Our Home’ keeps getting love and moving out of our store. I wouldn’t expect us to have any copies left when they play ZBR Fest 2024. Woot! Click on this text or the pic above for the review. Jam/buy below.

Johnny’s Reco-mmendations: THIN = Incredible mathcore/grindcore/screamo for those who want it totally nuts.

2023 - 12 - 27 /// ZBR's Two-Week Break (kinda)

December 27, 2023 by David Norman

We’re currently on our two-week break aka family/inventory time. We’ll get most packages out by January 6th but if we don’t this is our official apology. You won’t hear much from us other than the Zampler release and some Vs Self chatter. See ya soon <3

Zegema Beach Records Fest 2024 has been over half-revealed, which is bonkers to look at and realize there are still more than 10 bands left to announce. Two day passes are dwindling, then you’ll have to wait for the final tickets in mid-January when we release Wave 3 + Single Day tickets. Click on either pic or this text to snag some tickets.

Zampler #22 is pretty much done, I’m just volume mastering and deciding on the final few tracks, as well as waiting to see if another band decides to do some stuff with us. Looks like we’ll have brand new/unreleased jams from Edhochuli, Terry Green, Gossip, Burial Etiquette, and Our Future Is An Absolute Shadow. Art by Yuri of Bok Suna!

After our two-week break the VS Self ‘Collection 19-23’ cassette releases (that’s Saturday January 6th). Above are the promo pics for each variant, starting with the primary bird/branch/flower swirl (the most abundant) all the way to the test dips (the rarest). Every one looks badass and will probably fly out the door.

CanaDave has been posting how-to-dip videos using the halfsies (yellow/blue) variant on TikTok so if you aren’t following us there you probably should!

You can also click on this pic to go to our TikTok page!

Our Future Is An Absolute Shadow is done and in-hand, we’re just prepping the inserts. 100 black 12”s. 15 tracks. A whole lotta screamin’ and mad riffs. As per the band’s way of doing things, the drums were written and recorded in their entirety before the guitars/bass were written and thrown on, followed by vocals from Dave Norman, Jesse Mowery, and guest vocalists Arvid (Vi Som Alskade Varandra Sa Mycket), Taylor and Jaccob (Burial Etiquette). ‘LP’ releases in full on January 15th, 2024. Jam the newest song from the record below!

CanaDave did an Out Past the Rings and Tomb Tree Family Tree video, this time for the Karloff/Amitie split 5” lathe and the Glass Noose ‘no more dignity’ cassette.

Operation X-Ray played some killer jams as per usual, stream it in full below! Gifts From Enola were featured on this episode.

Once the break is over we’ll drop our distro copies of Orchid’s ‘Chaos Is Me’ (only 20 copies available!!!) and a handful of Blind Girls 3rd pressing of ‘Residue’ thanks to No Funeral Records. Exact date will be released in the next news update so stay tuned!

Johnny’s Reco-mmendations: GXLLIAM! = We got something cookin’ for this release. Peep now!

2023 - 12 - 14 /// ZBR Fest 2024 Early Birds tomorrow!

December 14, 2023 by David Norman

Woah nelly lots of news again. First off, the Gifts From Enola discography set is coming out in exactly one week. One box. Four cassettes. Over five hours of incredible music.

ZBR Fest 2024 early bird tickets + Wave 1 releases tomorrow! Be sure to snag cheap tickets and wear a chin-guard, cuz that jaw is gonna drop. You can access the site now, but no bands are listed and the tickets go live at 10am PST / 12pm CST / 1pm EST. Click on this text to go to said site.

Blind Girls fuckin’ flew yesterday, my god. No mages left. No nebs left. We’re down to just random color and we had way less of those to begin with than the nebs! I think we had 18 over two stores!!! Links to purchase on our bandcamp <3

Out Past the Rings #179 and Tomb Tree Family Tree TT005 is (I think) the last joint release between ZBR and Tomb Tree, the truly incredible ‘Believer’s Hit’ by Nerver! Watch CanaDave go skinface in this ridiculously wretched episode. Now my face is cold all the time. Goddammit. Listen/download/buy here!

Tyler (bass) from Llewelyn did a podcast with Edie of Middle Man Records! That EP is truly remarkable stuff for fans of Transistor Transistor, Unwound, The Catalyst, and Hot Snakes. We’ve got it digitally and for sale on tape by clicking on this text.

Johnny’s Reco-mmendations: SINEMA = Some incredible new throwback emo/post-hardcore in the vein of Saosin and Thursday. Yummy.

2023 - 12 - 12 /// Inosuke out, Blind Girls tomorrow!

December 12, 2023 by David Norman

Onewaymirror sold out in less than 12 hours, so that’s nice. Thanks y’all! A repress is highly likely.

Next up, ZBR Fest 2024 early bird tickets + Wave 1 releases this Friday. You are not fucking ready, holy shit.

Lastly, we had the digitals for Inosuke release yesterday along with 12” pre-orders that should be shipping by the end of January. Please jam that shit below! Buy links are located there also.

I’m on my knees praying to the mage gods, as the /25 Wax Mage variant of the ‘The Weight of Everything’ 12”LP second press by Blind Girls is beyond sensational. This is a co-release with No Funeral and Life Lair Regret Records. These go live on December 13th a little later than usual, 1pm PST / 3pm CST / 4pm EST. Our tapes our almost out! Canada+International here / Bandcamp copies here

Riversleem’s music video is officially on youtube and our 7”s are runnin’ low! Get one of the best EPs of 2023 and they’re only /100!

CanaDave had the legendary Gifts From Enola on his OMSB podcast. There’s some…uhhhhhhh…important info in there :) Go to the full post by clicking on the pic above or this text. If you wanna go straight to the podcast it’s below. More info soon!

Massa Nera showed up on Idioteq.com’s 10 Extremely Vulnerable Post-Hardcore Albums Not To Miss. They also released Derramar | Querer | Borrar’s remixes which you can check out here. Hopefully we see them this summer :)

Beats Per Minute released their Top Songs of 2023 and our very own Olth showed up there. Obviously. Click the pic above or this text for the full list.

Johnny’s Reco-mmendations: CAPSULE = Would you look at that…new Capsule, aka the gods of mathy screamo.

These go live at 9am PST / 11am CST / 12pm EST!!!

2023 - 12 - 09 /// Onewaymirror 12"s in one hour, Inosuke in 48 hours

December 09, 2023 by David Norman

Onewaymirror 12”s go up for sale in just one hour, 9am PST / 11am CST / 12pm EST with BSDJ’s copies going up later today. There are only 200 copies so be sure to snag one immediately…we only have around 40! The vinyl links will become active at the bottom of the bandcamp page embedded below.

Inosuke’s debut 12” LP releases on Monday! We’ll have the digitals out as well as a rare vinyl pre-order. The tests were approved back in mid-November so we should have them in January. There’s 125 Galaxy and 125 3-Color Smash. We don’t like doing mock-ups so just go with your heart. Jam a track below!

Behold, the nebula and random ‘The Weight of Everything’ 12”LP second press by Australia’s incredible Blind Girls. This is a co-release with No Funeral and Life Lair Regret Records. These go live on December 13th a little later than usual, 1pm PST / 3pm CST / 4pm EST. Mage pictures next!

Riversleem released their first ever music video through (((((OPENmind/SATURATEDbrain))))) for “Eating Teeth”. It’s a fucking wicked video and a helluva jam to boot. Click on the pic above or this text to get Sleemed, eh?

Carrion Spring got some much deserved love from Stereogum for their new/incredible EP ‘how it all falls away petal by petal’. Be sure to check out the review by clicking on this text or the pic above, and jam that amazing stuff below!

Operation X-Ray did another excellent radio show, this time starting off the screamo/skramz section with our very own Othiel and Carrion Spring!

Johnny’s Reco-mmendations: LIVE LONGER BURN EVERYTHING = Awesome screamo/metallic hardcore hybrid that could have come out 20 years and been runnin’ the show!