Establishing the mood with an intricate piano performance, delicate guitar motifs and a sublime strings arrangement, Fanny Alexandra opens Zombie with a pristine pop vocal and the lyrics, “I used to know my favourite colour, used to know my favourite song, now everything tastes like nothing…”
We immediately connect with the deep authenticity and the high emotional quotient of the track. In essence, Zombie reads like a confession from someone trapped in self-destruction, addiction, dissociation and severe emotional instability.
It would be perfect for a multitude of sync placements – a film like Forbidden Fruits, or a TV show like Euphoria, 13 Reasons Why or Elite. It’s about realizing too late how badly Fanny hurt the person who loved her.
The imagery suggests alienation from Fanny’s own identity, how she no longer recognizes herself and feels like she’s become a hollow version of who she was (“someone wearing my mask,” “zombie in your doorway”) and of course lines about choosing pills over love.
Lines about “control” being another high and loving “the numb more than you” point to compulsive behaviour or emotional avoidance. At the same time, there’s genuine love and dependence and this really comes through with the vocal design. It’s so raw and epic, her range is out of this world and feels deeply human.
Lyrically, it is laced with poetic prowess. Line like “you were my safest harbour,” and “I need you more than I need to be free” are outstanding, and make the confession truly tragic. It is clear that Fanny didn’t intentionally set out to destroy the relationship, but was trying to escape herself, and in doing so became incapable of fully loving or being present.
Speaking on the release, Fanny Alexandra says, “Zombie is a dark alternative track about emotional numbness and losing connection to yourself – that quiet moment when you look in the mirror and don’t recognize who you’ve become.” Fans of Billie Eilish, Kelly Clarkson, early Pink and even Adele would be able to connect with what Fanny Alexandra is crafting a sonic universe entirely of her own design.
We have added Zombie to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS playlist, whilst we continue to stream Fanny Alexandra‘s growing discography, including Innocence for Fire, Mortal, and Ride the Storm.