Photo by Lisa Lähnemann
Hamburg quartet Billy Zach returns with a new single, “Russian Dolls,” lifted from their upcoming EP, Interferer. Named after singer and guitarist Max Zacherl’s former stage name, Billy Zach evokes the introspective, layered beauty of early 4AD releases, with a sound that mingles the ethereal with the visceral. Described as “the sandpaper of pop music,” their earlier releases—Shallow and last year’s A Momentary Bliss—laid the groundwork for their sonic evolution. But Interferer dives deeper, reaching new emotional heights.
“Russian Dolls” doesn’t unfold in a predictable pattern but rather unfurls with a growing passion that builds throughout the song. Its post-punk roots are unmistakable, nodding to the shimmering, atmospheric soundscapes of the ’80s UK scene, with influences like And Also the Trees and The Wake (UK) echoing in the delicate interplay of guitar and bass. The track opens gently but swells into a powerful crescendo as three distinct vocal lines weave through the music, interlocking and crashing together like waves against the shore. This is dreamy pop at its most intricate—wistful yet urgent, with each voice adding to the emotional elegance that if it is to be compared to sandpaper, then this erosion is like that of the currents carving out a canyon.
The video, crafted by Luca Adams and Fabienne Sklorz, unfolds in a rapid montage, each scene flickering in Super-8 and stark monochrome. It doesn’t settle, it doesn’t pause—moments flash past like fleeting memories, half-remembered dreams, or the last slideshow of a life slipping away. There’s a rush in its pacing, an urgency in its imagery, as though the camera itself is racing against time, capturing glimpses of a world that is already fading.
Each frame hits like a shutter snapping closed, searing moments into the mind before they vanish into the ether. It’s fragmented, frantic, but somehow holds the weight of something final, as though we are watching time fracture, splinter, and scatter—one last glimpse before it’s all gone.
Watch the video for “Russian Dolls” below:
You can pre-order Interferer here.
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