ZHU Delivers Pop-Friendly Collaboration with Tinashe, “ONLY”

By wazup on May 15, 2020 Comments Closed / 122 views

Enigmatic producer and singer-songwriter ZHU returned today with his second single of 2020, “ONLY,” a topical collaboration with R&B songstress Tinashe that is ready for mainstream airplay.

Since 2014, ZHU has emerged as one of the more acclaimed talents in electronic music. His platinum debut, Generationwhy, hooked listeners behind cinematic production and ZHU’s lithe vocals. In 2018, he dropped another transformative LP, Dunes, which featured more vocal compositions and collabs with the likes of Tame Impala (“My Life”).

On this latest track, ZHU shows that his evolution of becoming a more complete musician is anything but done.

The track—which debuted on Luminosity Gaming’s Twitch channel last night—opens with a haunting guitar riff, quickly paired with vocoded infused vocals from ZHU. Sounding like a sonic relative to The Weeknd behind his high tenor, the producer delivers sultry lyrics, which topically discuss isolation and the want for connectivity.

Like much of the ZHU catalog, a subtle house beat kicks to life in the background. Accented by rising basslines, synths, and contrasting vocals from Tinashe, the track delivers the dynamic production soundscape ZHU fans have become accustomed to. With his ability to flip the switch as a crooner himself, his potential to ascend in pop stardom only grows as he unveils more tools to connect with listeners.

In addition to the new single, “ONLY” is accompanied by a music video directed by former Flume and ODESZA–collaborator Jack Murgatroyd.

“The video nods to the current moment,” said Murgatroyd via a press release. “That ubiquitous feeling of uncertainty and uneasiness.” You can watch the video below.