Painted Zeros Announce New LP WHEN YOU FOUND FOREVER

Out May 29 on Don Giovanni Records, When You Found Forever is the second full-length by Brooklyn's Painted Zeros.

Active since 2014, Painted Zeros is the work of Brooklyn's Katie Lau. A sound engineer by night, Lau is responsible for every aspect of the music-writing, performing, recording, and mixing the records entirely on her own. The songs blend her love of punk with the liquid noise of shoegaze and the melodic sweetness of indie pop.

When You Found Forever documents a turning point for Lau both artistically and personally. It's the first album she's released since becoming sober three years ago, a process that is alluded to in the character of the record's two sides: the first unblinking in its account of difficulty and darkness, the second shot through with exuberance and gratitude.

It's a set of songs that juxtaposes extremes-anger and melody, ambiance and bite, conflict and hard-won contentment. In her newly sober clarity, Lau invites the listener into a world brimming with lush hooks, spiraling guitar leads, and lyrics that ring with hope.

Katie Lau on "Commuter Rage":

I was excited to work with director Jess Coles for multiple reasons: we are both queer women, and her style of filmmaking mirrors the way I make music-I write, perform, record, and mix everything myself, and Jess directs, shoots, produces, and edits all of her own work.

While discussing video ideas over coffee, I mentioned that I felt like I had been hiding myself in the past-hiding from taking ownership of Painted Zeros as my solo project, hiding my voice in my last album by burying it in my mixes-and that I didn't want to hide or allow my art to be dictated by fear anymore. Jess suggested a music video that focused mostly on my face, with me and the sky as characters, and using the light and the morphing skyline to lend a surreal, dream-like quality (it's worth mentioning that her video treatment included a lot of Ingmar Bergman stills, which I loved!) I have to confess that a music video where my face is the unflinching focus was not the most comfortable idea for me to wrap my head around, but after working with Jess and seeing the outcome, I'm glad I did.

The chorus of Commuter Rage, "I don't owe you anything," has become something of a personal mantra, a note-to-self when dealing with people who feel entitled to my time and energy. I wanted to write something that combined the feeling of being pissed off about injustice with a tongue-in-cheek ("be your benevolent overlord") and ultimately joyous reclamation of my space/emotional boundaries.

PAINTED ZEROS ON TOUR

3.24 - Brooklyn, NY @ Knitting Factory w/ Haru Nemuri
4.16- Brooklyn, NY @ Trans-Pecos w/ Bethlehem Steel, Slight Of
5.30 - Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere Zone 1 (LP RELEASE SHOW)
June 2020 tour dates TBA

@ Trans-Pecos w/ Bethlehem Steel, Slight Of
5.30 - Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere Zone 1 (LP RELEASE SHOW)
June 2020 tour dates TBA

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