Zane Allen West, aka ZAALWE, has been a fixture in many different notable bands, collaborating with artists ranging from R&B to progressive metal (Tiny Gun, Joanna Teters, Citris, Jak Lizard, Mid Atlantic Title, to name a few). Now he is releasing his first solo project, a long overdue venture into his fully-formed artistic identity, ZAALWE.
The multi-instrumentalist has an innate knack for lush arrangements, crafting dreamy bedroom pop that is chock-full of substantial, heartfelt songwriting. Concerning the pastoral music video, ZAALWE notes, “The ‘Lakeside’ visual was captured in rural Alabama. I felt the property that my partner and I briefly stayed on was a Garden of Eden type paradise. We all have to leave what we perceive to be paradise sometime, be it a relationship that is comfortable but may not fulfill you. Leaving the comfort of your family home to create your own life.
Quitting a job you’re unhappy at that may afford you more than enough but isn’t close to what you want to be doing with your life. These types of life events that require this leap of faith that we all go through, which the dive is symbolic of. It’s about the feeling of responding to that call to grow that you can’t refuse—honoring the inevitable growing pains.”
