Z-GR! Radio: Episode 49 Wrap-Up

EPISODE 49 of Z-GR! Radio

May 02, 2025

Teen Commandments - Balance

Dance-party Brooklyn band Teen Commandments self-describe as ‘Undomesticated Synthpop’ but the thing is they made really really great synthpop – their last release was last decade and they’ve dropped off of the socials – normally, I’d pass, but I think I mentioned that they were really, really good and I think you heard them, so much so that they’re opening this week with 2015’s ‘Balance’. Let’s hope we get more from them sometime.

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Savaptra - Sky Is The Limit

Bangkok’s Savapatra has recently re-emerged from a decade out of the spotlight – her first release back has an ethereal tone that belies the lover’s pledge at the heart of ‘Sky Is the Limit’.

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Breathe of My Leaves - Perfect Defeat

Breathe of My Leaves is back on the show for a with another track from their excellent 2023 album ‘The Radiant Believers’. For the uninitiated, Breathe of My Leaves is a project by Stephano Barberis, who is known most notably for creating and winning awards for music and concert videos and Jordan Gant, who clearly has a talent for hook-filled synthpop vocals. It’s been a year or so, so I’m hoping we’ll get a new release from the band in the near future.

Lucas Bargen - Here

Argentina’s Lucas Bargen is a multifaceted artist who runs the gamut from photography to ad-design to music and all of it is really good. ‘Here’ is another one of those tracks that gets better each time you hear it.

Bunny X - Never Give You Up

New York City’s Abigail Gordon and Mary Hanley form Bunny X, who are easily one of my favorite artists in the synthwave / retrowave scene; their latest release marks their seventh track on the show, and their latest, ‘Never Give You Up’ was released alongside a remix from earmake, and I’d be lying if I said I haven’t gone back and forth between them more than a few times – ultimately, the single release won out, but it’s worth checking the remix and instrumentals out.

Rude Awakening / Patrik Kambo - Sqeal! (Patrik Kambo Remix)

Back in 2022, a message on my Instagram account pointed me at The Rude Awakening, the synthpop duo of Johnny Normal and Bridget Gray, who claim to make “downright naughty modern electronic songs”. I was, of course, sold immediately, and this remix of ‘Squeal!’ is remixed by Patrik Kambo, who has also worked with Z-GR! Radio artists Train to Spain, Vogon Poetry and Stereo in Solo’.

Rude Awakening

Patrik Kambo

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Step Rockets - Phantom Flower

I had Minneapolis’ pop-rock band Step Rockets back on Episode 28 – I went back to the excellent extended version of their 2023 EP Future Nature and I have to say, it is a really, really great record that is well worth spending some time with – hard to choose just one, but ‘Phantom Flower’ has so many interesting things going on, it made the final cut for this week’s show.

Zero-G Racetrack - Slave To My Ego

As Zero-G Racetrack’s vocalist, I have a soft spot for this track – I wrote the vocal as I was transitioning out of a long-term relationship, and realized to my chagrin that I had boxed up several things that I liked about myself to accommodate the relationship. The track is about self-realization within the context of a personal reboot, and making sure that you don’t go sideways during the renovation.

Electric Penguins - Close Your Eyes (and Try Again)

Paul X Murphy and Mark Cummins are Electronic Penguins and simply put, they are awesome. They’ve nailed the electronic prog-rock aesthetic and their sound ranges from heavy to melodic and all points between. They are fantastic, so make sure you check all of their stuff out.

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Mark Mallman - Reverse Paradise

Minnesota music staple Mark Mallman has been making the Twin Cities his musical playground since the late ‘90’s, and has released nine full-length albums along the way. He wrote ‘Flowers’ for the Rick and Morty TV show, and I spent some time with his 2021 record ‘Happiness’, which is an absolute blast. Seriously, put the album on your to-listen-to list.

Chonny Jash - Ain't No Rest For the Wicked

I’ve been stumbling across some really great covers these past few months and this week the trend continues – Cage the Elephant ‘s 2008 debut record holds one of the greatest rock tracks ever, and when it popped up in my YouTube feed, I decided to hunt down a cover – I was not at all disappointed to come across Chonny Jash’s take on the song – it is an AMAZING and unique take on ‘Ain’t No Rest For the Wicked’.

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Aisle 9 - Liquid Blue

Z-GR! Radio favorite Aisle 9 was our featured instrumentalist on episode 14 and was back on episode 25 and our epic Christmas Episode 33, so when his latest dropped last week it was a no-brainer to have him close out the show with ‘Liquid Blue’.

Aisle 9, Breathe of My Leaves, Bunny X, Chonny Jash, Electric Penguins, Lucas Bargen, Mark Mallman, Patrik Kambo, Rude Awakening, Savaptra, Step Rockets, Teen Commandments, Zero-G Racetrack

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