We’re in the days of a producer’s renaissance, when more and more musicians aren’t solely limiting themselves to just performance. They’re also composing, mixing, and mastering their own work, engaging in a DIY work ethic that extends to creators across genres. Boston’s Zach Seals is one such artist and producer is pulling double duty when it comes to his releases. SInce putting “Exi$tential Crisis” – a moody piano ballad set over a hip-hop beat that feels like N.E.R.D. through a punk lens – on Spotify in 2019, Seals has added to his résumé by way of a handful of other singles, including an EP called “It Was Never That Deep” and the recent single “Thoughts So Loud” in 2020.
Photo Courtesy of Zach Seals
To coincide with that single, Zach Seals released a corresponding video earlier this year with featured vocalist Pisha. The visuals find the duo in a twist on the classic trope of the baby on the doorstep. Instead of a real baby, the two devote their attention to a drawing of a face wrapped in a blanket. The video is laced with some funny twists on day-to-day parenting, like taking the baby for a walk in full gas masks, singing lullabies, and Seals reacting in horror to having to change a diaper. In addition to the video, Seals has released one more single, “Open,” so far in 2021.
Over a musical palette that has a home in the textures of modern R&B, Seals finds space for variegation in the fluctuating moods and themes across songs. On “It Was Never That Deep,” existential crisis carries a much more exasperated, rebellious tone, which “Pleasure and Pain” transforms into a sexy, crooning slow jam. Follow that with the orchestral funk of “Forget You” and it becomes clear that Seals has an adept ear for how to develop a unique, explorative sound across an extended release. Currently at work on a full length release, it will be interesting to see how Zach Seals continues to develop that talent as a burgeoning performer and producer.
Follow Zach Seals on Instagram and Twitter to keep up with future releases. Watch the video for “Thoughts So Loud” featuring Pisha below.