Contrasting the more gentle edge of her previous single “My Old Life”, Liverpool’s Zuzu returns with a full foray into bright, attention-grabbing pop. Her new track “Lie to Myself” bursts into your face from it’s quiet, burbling verses, Zuzu’s voice scornful and assured. Wanting to leave the past behind and travel down the “ignorance is bliss” avenue, she declares “whatever you do don’t tell me the truth.” It’s in the verses that the story develops though; Zuzu’s vocals tinged with a snarky distrust, she tell a familiar story of trying to break away from a destructive ex-partner, not wanting to have to both see them happily move on and also have them calling “in the middle of the night.”
In her own words, she says: “Lie To Myself is about the process of coming out of denial, about that fragile state in-between a breakup where you’re strong enough to leave but not quite yet strong enough to face the full truth. The realisation that you’ve been living through a toxic relationship whether that be romantic or even professional and the impact that has on your mental health. It can be emotionally crippling leaving something behind that you’ve leaned on for so many years. It can feel like learning to breathe again. The song is about those times you hear their name or see a picture, whatever it might be that triggers that knot in your stomach. It’s about not wanting to hear the details about what happened, having no control over your emotional reaction to other people’s actions past, present and future. I’m still learning how to set boundaries in life, for myself more than anyone. Trying to stop my anxieties from spiralling out of control and not letting outside influences affect me. Protect your magic, it’s precious!“
Taking to the location where the song’s initial inspiration came from, Zuzu wanders the empty Queensway Tunnel in Birkenhead, the desolate roads and endless lengths of road make for an apt visual metaphor of the long journey one has to take to move on from someone.
Listen to the song below, or check out the track on streaming platforms.
Zuzu’z debut album, Queensway Tunnel, is out November 12th via Planet Z Records. You can find her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Zuzu also has a bunch of UK tour dates ahead of her:
UK Tour 2021
Wed 01 Dec – Patterns – Brighton, UK
Thu 02 Dec – The Dome – London, UK
Fri 03 Dec – Thekla – Bristol, UK
Sun 05 Dec – O2 Academy – Liverpool, UK
Mon 06 Dec – The Cluny – Newcastle, UK
Tue 07 Dec – The Mash House – Edinburgh, UK
Wed 08 Dec – King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut – Glasgow, UK
Thu 09 Dec – Bodega Social Club – Nottingham, UK
Sat 11 Dec – Hyde Park Book Club – Leeds, UK
Sun 12 Dec – Hare & Hounds – Birmingham, UK
Mon 13 Dec – The Deaf Institute – Manchester, UK
Tue 14 Dec – The Leadmill – Sheffield, UK
Thu 16 Dec – The Academy- Dublin, IE
