Zs

Formed in 2000, Brooklyn-based avant-noise trio Zs have stayed relatively low-key. Now, with the release of The Hard EP on the Locust’s Three One G imprint, the band should get some much-deserved attention. Meeting at a complex crossroads of free jazz, prog-rock and noise, the band build chaotic soundscapes that unfold slowly. The Hard EP’s sole untitled track opens with a start-stop skronk jam where the saxophone fights the guitar like Weasels Ripped My Flesh-era Zappa jamming with Ornette Coleman. In its 15-minute run time, the track produces passageways of sludgier dynamics that erupt, leaving room for the subtler piano finale. It’s an impressive run that invites a deeper look into Zs’ catalogue.