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- June 20, 2022
Zach Hood Retains Hyper-Vulnerability with Heartbreak Anthem “lonely isn’t the word for this”
For anyone who has been paying attention to the music industry in the past couple of years, we know that Gen Z has been redefining the music industry to be more real and relatable, focusing on bringing important topics or emotions to the masses. Zach Hood continues to show that being hyper-vulnerable is the way to make noise among Gen Z listeners, with his single “lonely isn’t the word for this” showcasing the uglier emotions associated with breakups that we all know exist, yet don’t always wish to acknowledge. He shares,
This song describes the feeling of total emptiness in the wake of missing someone. You don’t just feel alone, depressed & hopeless; you feel the extreme ends of all those adjacent emotions to the point where you almost feel nothing. It’s a new feeling to me in the song, so to show how bad it really is and how much of that feeling is tied to this girl, I say I “wouldn’t wish it on anyone, not even you.“
Alabama-born and Los-Angeles based, Zach Hood delivers an unpredictable punk-inflected pop sound of his own, highlighted by quotable lyrics and hummable hooks. The singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist remembers his early days of belting along to Bruno Mars from his car seat as a toddler and later taught himself to play the piano his mom bought him by watching YouTube videos for hours on end. His parents’ divorce weighed heavily on him, but he found solace in music and engaged with classmates in middle school by taking requests for acapella covers to post on Instagram. By junior year, he was encouraged to download TikTok by an ex and hyperactively posted content on the platform. He unleashed his debut single in 2021, “Flashbacks,” which unapologetically opened the wounds of his fractured family, establishing his desire to be real and seen through his music.
“lonely isn’t the word for this” is a sentimental pop ballad that is backed by robust piano chords and guitar pluckings that fall alongside weighted musings. It follows the journey of memories being played back from the relationship, from the moments of a first kiss and long gone memories of joyful car rides, all the way to the breakup that was planned out by one person but not seen coming by the other. When that sort of breakup happens, there’s an overwhelming sense of confusion in feeling like you had no chance of making a difference in the outcome of the relationship, and that often feels like you’ve been betrayed. The layered vocals and instrumental builds follow the roller coaster of emotions and edge towards a crescendo of the repeatable hook.
