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Basement Featured Album of the Week: Zorked

Zorked by Julia Shapiro
Julia Shapiro
Zorked by Julia Shapiro

This week’s featured album is Zorked by Julia Shapiro (former member of Chastity Belt and Childbirth). This being her second solo release, Zorked has a different and very distinct sound compared to her previous album Perfect Version. Zorked was released mid October, and the 10 songs that are contained within are the result of home studio recordings, with almost all instruments being recorded by Shapiro, and a not too distant year where everyone spent a lot of time at home. The albums name, Zorked, is nicely defined on the inner jacket as:

“Zorked (adj.) - what happens when you end up thunderbaked, as in extremely stoned–or in any situation where you feel not sober. You can feel so tired you’re zorked. In fact, any state, so long as you’re a little out of it, qualifies;”

which accurately defines an album about dysphoria and just feeling “out of touch” with everything.

Descending into the tracklist, the listener is met with Death (XIII); a gloomy, dissonant, and droning opening track that feels like shoegaze, doom metal, and indie singer/songwriter all coalescing into one introspective, slow-jam (and personal favorite) track. The albums leading single Come With Me is said, by Shaprio, to be inspired by a bad trip, and is full of clean guitar, fun synth timbres and plenty of brooding dissonance. Other go to tracks on the album are Wrong Time, and the album closer Hall of Mirrors. All the tracks on the album feel complete together, and help create the all encompassing feeling of just being plain Zorked.

Tune into 103.3 KUMD the basement 9-11pm Monday - Thursday to hear more of Zorked