TRACK OF THE WEEK: 'I Really Like Her' - by North East Brat-Pop duo 'ZELA'

ZELA, siblings from the North-East of England, have created a dark and imaginative brand of hard-hitting alt-pop and are back at it again with their blistering new single.

ZELA’s bisexuality-flooded new single ‘I Really Like Her’ was inspired by front-woman Liv Griff’s turbulent romance between herself and a girl unavailable, silhouetted against the dirty dancefloors and cigarette-tinged kisses of the Northern Indie music scene.

Burning with pop vocal hooks not dissimilar to the likes of Blondie’s Debbie Harry and driven by a distortion-soaked bassline, Liv maintains her signature bratty approach to songwriting but this time infuses painfully emotive melodies and lyrics guaranteed to immerse you in the British cinematic heartache of friends-to-lovers-to-strangers.

Featuring an explosive performance from brother Max Griff on drums, the track embodies themes of youthful British culture reminiscent of E4’s Skins, features lyrics akin to those of early Arctic Monkeys and explores Liv’s first queer experiences, making ‘I Really Like Her’ the outrageous LGBTQ+ anthem the world needs.

Since bursting onto the scene in 2020, ZELA have delivered a string of singles, each exploring complex topics and their own brand of dark, imaginative Brat-Pop. The duo have received numerous plays on BBC Radio 1, alongside features on Future Artists with Jack Saunders. In addition to this, ZELA have gained massive support from BBC Introducing, numerous official Spotify playlistings (including New Music Friday, Misfits 2.0, Unleashed and New Pop UK), and have begun to amass a loyal, dedicated following.

Over the last year, ZELA have begun to make bold moves within the live music scene, quickly establishing themselves as an act not to be missed on a line-up. Dubbed by Radio One’s Jack Saunders as “Nine Inch Nails-meets-Ariana Grande”, their live performance is a supercharged, high-energy experience encapsulating Liv Griff’s magnetic, on-stage persona and Max Griff’s frenzied ability on the drum kit, alongside the addition of two other live members. Just back from live shows in Canada, and having recently shared line-ups with The Libertines, Bastille, DMAs, Larkins, Bob Vylan, Pale Waves, Self Esteem, Blossoms and Holly Humberstone, ZELA have exciting plans for the rest of the year.

LISTEN TO ‘I REALLY LIKE HER’

GIG SLUTZ RATING: 5/5