Zweng drops new record ‘Toronto Tapes’

Rising from the ashes of personal turmoil with a collection of songs forged in moments of reflection, Zweng returns with Toronto Tapes, a brand new album that marks a total artistic rebirth. The London-based, California-born indie rock singer-songwriter has walked a path strewn with highs and lows, from his psych rock roots with the Coo Coo Birds to composing for ABC in Los Angeles.

Now, having swapped chaos for razor sharp focus, Zweng channels his journey through a poignant body of work that blurs the lines between indie, pop and rock. Raised on a sonic diet of Nirvana, The Beatles and a healthy dash of MTV, Zweng’s musical voice was developed across instruments and borders. But it’s with Toronto Tapes, recorded during a pivotal year of sobriety and self-exploration, that his voice comes through clearest.

Tracked at Kensington Sound Studios with producer Will Schollar, the album serves as a diary written in stereo. Reimagined covers and soul-baring originals sit side by side, each track a snapshot of Zweng finding his way back to himself. Opening track “(It’s Good) To Be Free” sets the tone with anthemic intensity, channelling Oasis’ aesthetic while capturing the exhilaration of stepping back into one’s own skin.

From there, the record plunges into deeper emotional territory; his haunting take on “Pet Sematary” reinterprets the Ramones’ anthem as a metaphor for relapse, unearthing the fear and futility in trying to resurrect a self better left behind. Elsewhere, Zweng turns “Goodbye To You” into a farewell not just to a lover, but to the version of himself forged in addiction and ego. His version of “Back on the Chain Gang” aches with nostalgia, sparked by the moment he boxed up memories before moving to Toronto.

But Toronto Tapes doesn’t dwell in despair, “Elevation” is a euphoric ode to recovery, celebrating natural highs like yoga, meditation and moments of surrender. It captures the pink cloud phase of sobriety, the blissful, often fleeting clarity that follows the storm. Zweng’s reinterpretation of “Take On Me,” inspired by A-ha’s stripped-back version, becomes a fragile plea for connection, aimed at those who vanished when things got dark. His “Uptown Girl” is a tongue-in-cheek swipe at modern perfectionism, reframing Billy Joel’s classic as a critique of curated identities in the age of social media.

Two of the album’s most personal tracks are “Marianne” and “Jeanette.” The former, written from the imagined voice of the man Zweng believes his mother deserved, explores generational trauma with tender empathy. The latter honours the grandmother he never met, a spiritual thank you to an unseen guide he believes helped him through recovery. Closing with a slow-burning cover of Ozzy Osbourne’s “Changes,” Zweng brings the journey full circle via a musical mantra; growth is messy, healing hurts, but transformation is possible. Now studying production at Abbey Road Institute and with two more albums on the horizon, Zweng stands at the edge of a new chapter and we can’t wait to see what comes next from this talented artist.

Listen to Toronto Tapes below