Phoenix Band Release New Album Alpha Zulu

Oct 6, 2022 musiccorners

Phoenix Band, a French indie pop band recently paid tribute to Philippe Zdar, the late composer and producer who worked with the band throughout their career. Philippe Zdar died in 2019 after he crashed from a roof in Paris. Zdar died at the age of 52.

Speaking to NME for Big Read’s cover story, Phoenix reflected on their creative relationship with Philippe Zdar. For this reason, they pay homage to a music industry legend and French house pioneer.

“He was joy and chaos—like a whirlwind. The producer you dream of working with. I’m sure any band Phillippe worked with came out of there stronger. You can’t part once you’ve worked with Philippe: he’s a great producer and therapist,” said vocalist Thomas Mars.

Meanwhile, Philippe Zdar isn’t officially working on every album Phoenix has released so far. He didn’t do the mixing or producing of their records, he just offered advice to the band. Despite his death, they told NME that his presence could still be felt during the sessions.

“He’s here, more than ever on this album. The first song we wrote for the album, Identical [first released in 2020 for Sofia Coppola’s On The Rocks], was written just days after her death. From start to finish, it’s impossible not to feel Philippe,” said guitarist Christian Mazzalai.

Elsewhere on Big Read, the band discussed the making of their upcoming new album Alpha Zulu. The new album was recorded at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs Paris at the Palais du Louvre. They also talked about their relationship with Vampire Weekend, whose frontman Ezra Koenig was featured on the single Tonight.

Single Tonight is something new for Phoenix. Ezra Koenig’s performance on this track marks the first time a guest vocalist has appeared on one of the band’s songs. “Could you come tonight? / I’ve got a feeling that you know the number,” Koenig sang, before exchanging sentences with Thomas Mars.

In addition to releasing the single, Phoenix also released the Tonight music video. The music video was filmed in Tokyo and Paris, filming Ezra Koenig and Phoenix on opposite sides of the world on separate screens.

“We felt it would be a fantastic adventure to create something out of nothing in a museum,” guitarist and keyboardist Laurent “Branco” Brancowitz said in a press release about the band’s unusual recording facility. “So with the pandemic, we can live exactly like this scene, alone in an empty museum.”

“I’m a little scared, when there’s too much beauty around us, making things can be a bit difficult,” adds guitarist Christian Mazzalai. “But it’s the other way around: we can’t stop producing music. In these first 10 days, we wrote almost all the albums.”

Besides, Phoenix Band recently performed the song on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. Ezra Koenig wasn’t in the studio for the performance, but his part was handled by a synced video which appears to be the same footage used in the song’s music video.

Alpha Zulu is the band’s seventh album and the follow-up to Ti Amo (2017). Alpha Zulu album will be released on November 4, 2022. Currently, Phoenix is on tour in North America and will be heading to the UK and Europe in November.

Tracklist for Newest of Phoenix Band album, Alpha Zulu

Alpha Zulu
Tonight feat. Ezra Koenig
The Only One
After Midnight
Winter Solstice
Season 2
Artifact
All Eyes On Me
My Elixir
Identical

You Might Also Like:

Phoenix Band is an indie pop band from Versailles, France. The band consists of Thomas Mars (lead vocals), Deck d’Arcy (bass/keyboard/backing vocals), Christian Mazzalai (guitar/backing vocals), and Laurent Brancowitz (guitar/keyboard/backing vocals). While they have released critically acclaimed records such as United and Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, they are best known for their singles If I Ever Feel Better, Lisztomania, Too Young, and 1901.

Throughout his musical career, Phoenix has scored a number of albums, including United (2000), Alphabetical (2004), It’s Never Been Like That (2006), Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (2009), Bankrupt! (2013), Ti Amo (2017), and most recently Alpha Zulu (2022).