Zoos of Berlin: Experience the Sounds of Experimental Pop

By: Toni Cunningham | February 9, 2013
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If your ears crave electro-pop harmonies, Zoos of Berlin should have a place on your iPod. While the name might suggest a band from across the pond, its four members are all Michigan natives.

Trevor Naud (guitar, vocals), Daniel I. Clark (bass, vocals, guitar), Collin Dupuis (drums) and Will Yates (keyboards) are Zoos of Berlin, a Detroit-based band with a unique sound that doesn’t fit into any one particular category.

“Maybe you could call it art-pop, experimental pop, or something like that,” Yates said.

Zoos of Berlin released its first full-length album, Taxis, in 2009, in addition to two EPs, Zoos of Berlin (in 2007) and Pallister Chant (in 2011). The band’s second full-length album has been in the making on and off for several years, and will be released later in 2013.

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Bouncing ideas off each other was a big part of putting together their sophomore album, and the process allowed Yates to see what ideas his fellow band mates came up with.

“Trevor and Daniel write all the lyrics, and Collin and I can only guess what they’re about,” Yates said.

Zoos of Berlin’s initial fan base was composed of supportive friends and co-workers, but thanks to the band’s presence on sites like Facebook and Bandcamp, they have garnered a following with listeners outside of their home base. The band’s song “Haven’t Eyes,” off their latest EP, was recently featured in the new 2013 Chevy Malibu commercial.

When it comes to making music, Yates said the key is to create the kind of music you’d want to listen to yourself, not what you think other people want to hear.

“Like most musicians, we’re all voracious music listeners, fans of everything under the sun,” Yates said. “We make the music that we want to hear, and maybe it’s up to others to decide what it sounds like.”

While the band would love to travel back in time and share the stage with The Beatles, catching a live show by Zoos of Berlin is a fairly rare occurrence.

“Though we love playing live, we’ve become increasingly focused on the production side of things. For a rock band, we spend a lot of time coming up with new sounds in the studio without thinking much about how we’re eventually going to replicate them live,” Yates said.

While you await the band’s 2013 release, name your price and download Pallister Chant for whatever monetary amount you can contribute—just try not to be stingy!

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