Zoon — the experimental shoegaze project from Daniel Monkman — has shared a new single called "Astum" and announced the Big Pharma EP, which is arriving June 21 via Paper Bag Records.
"Astum" — which features contributions from Leanne Betasamosake Simpson — is a shimmery, densely-layered track that finds Monkman's voice floating over a delicate rhythm section and washes of aquatic guitar.
In a statement about the song, Monkman said:
Astum was the first Cree word that my late father, Glen Olsen, taught me as a child. It means "hurry up" or "quickly". He would walk in front of me and at the door say "Astum, Daniel! Astum!" Thinking of it as a game, I'd run towards him as quickly as possible. I thought about this and what the word means in my now adult life, especially now in my musical career. Passing down language was something that I prayed for as a kid. I remember wanting to attend the reservation school to learn but our Ojibway teacher disappeared one month earlier and never came back.
"Astum" also touches on active addiction and the challenges that it brings to an individual. While in active addiction, it's extremely difficult to function in the known society and it leaves you feeling even more lost. I reflect on how it's really sad and you watch a lot of good people leave because it's impossible to keep a firm grasp on reality. You're longing for a great relationship but know it could never happen because you're constantly trying to numb out past traumas.
The Big Pharma EP features an impressive host of guests, including Cadence Weapon, Michael Peter Olsen, Sunnsetter and Jasmine Trails. According to Monkman, the EP is "about me trying to bring awareness about the pharmaceutical industry and their lies. I talk about how they destroyed my community of Selkirk Manitoba and many more small towns and cities. A whole generation completely changed in just a matter of five years, Families torn apart and loved ones lost to addiction and overdoses."
Zoon's last album was 2020's Bleached Wavves. Earlier this year, he and Status/Non-Status released Sewn Together as OMBIIGIZI.
See the video for "Astum" and the Big Pharma tracklist below.
Big Pharma:
1. Astum (feat. Leanne Betasamosake Simpson)
2. Oil pastel/Dope sick (feat. Cadence Weapon)
3. Rain in a new city (feat. Michael Peter Olsen)
4. Red river (feat. Sunnsetter)
5. Oopeeum (feat. Jasmine Trails)
"Astum" — which features contributions from Leanne Betasamosake Simpson — is a shimmery, densely-layered track that finds Monkman's voice floating over a delicate rhythm section and washes of aquatic guitar.
In a statement about the song, Monkman said:
Astum was the first Cree word that my late father, Glen Olsen, taught me as a child. It means "hurry up" or "quickly". He would walk in front of me and at the door say "Astum, Daniel! Astum!" Thinking of it as a game, I'd run towards him as quickly as possible. I thought about this and what the word means in my now adult life, especially now in my musical career. Passing down language was something that I prayed for as a kid. I remember wanting to attend the reservation school to learn but our Ojibway teacher disappeared one month earlier and never came back.
"Astum" also touches on active addiction and the challenges that it brings to an individual. While in active addiction, it's extremely difficult to function in the known society and it leaves you feeling even more lost. I reflect on how it's really sad and you watch a lot of good people leave because it's impossible to keep a firm grasp on reality. You're longing for a great relationship but know it could never happen because you're constantly trying to numb out past traumas.
The Big Pharma EP features an impressive host of guests, including Cadence Weapon, Michael Peter Olsen, Sunnsetter and Jasmine Trails. According to Monkman, the EP is "about me trying to bring awareness about the pharmaceutical industry and their lies. I talk about how they destroyed my community of Selkirk Manitoba and many more small towns and cities. A whole generation completely changed in just a matter of five years, Families torn apart and loved ones lost to addiction and overdoses."
Zoon's last album was 2020's Bleached Wavves. Earlier this year, he and Status/Non-Status released Sewn Together as OMBIIGIZI.
See the video for "Astum" and the Big Pharma tracklist below.
Big Pharma:
1. Astum (feat. Leanne Betasamosake Simpson)
2. Oil pastel/Dope sick (feat. Cadence Weapon)
3. Rain in a new city (feat. Michael Peter Olsen)
4. Red river (feat. Sunnsetter)
5. Oopeeum (feat. Jasmine Trails)
