THE TITLE TRACK OF THE NEW FULL-LENGTH ALBUM
LISTEN TO “WEALTH AND HELLNESS” ON SPOTIFY HERE
FFO: WEEN, WILL WOOD, MR. BUNGLE, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE
CRANFORD, NJ | Sept. 1, 2022: Indie madmen Human Zoo release the avant -pop single and title track of their new full-length album “Wealth and Hellness” today to all streaming platforms, a collaboration with Will Wood who is a featured artist and vocalist on the track.
“Wealth and Hellness” ends the LP with a climax of satirical extravagance. With an opening verse that paints a cartoonishly capitalistic picture of global financial elites sipping cocktails in the Bahamas, the song is meant to start as a tongue-in-cheek takedown of the forces that the artists feel disenfranchised by, and the song concludes with vocalist Spencer Daniele admitting his own contribution to those same systems. An irreverent composition, the song has no repeating parts and several sudden genre changes including klezmer, art-pop and art-rock.
Spencer Daniele adds,
“I met Will playing DIY shows in depraved NJ basements that felt like home at the time. I was absolutely floored by his lyricism and eloquent performance and knew he would be playing much bigger stages soon. Well he did and he’s basically been our band’s stepdad ever since; Giving us opening slots at his sold-out shows, studio and writing sessions together, and tons of profound insight over the years. It’s just been a really unique relationship we’ve had because it feels like we both see something special in the other, there’s a lot of mutual respect and gassing each other up.”
Spencer Daniele approached Will Wood knowing he wanted him on lead vocals for the bridge and piano solo for the finale. Not only did Will send these parts recorded remotely, but he also sent nearly 100 tracks to the band with offbeat ideas including a reverse-delayed choir and a sample of 1950’s style boxing bell. True to Will Wood’s conceptual style, he also sent them 30 tracks of complete silence, and the band respects his vision so much that they ended up keeping them in the final mix.
The song was written by Spencer Daniele who is on lead vocals, guitar, and bass with Zack Olsson on synths, and vocals, Joey Papa on drums, and Will Wood on piano and lead vocals. The song was collaboratively produced by the artists, engineered by Joey Papa, and recorded in the band’s home studio built by Papa, Sonoma Beach Studios, and Will Wood’s home studio where he recorded his parts remotely.
Human Zoo thrives on remote collaborations because even during covid’s worst months they were able to collaborate with artists from all over the world.
ABOUT: Founded by Joey Papa and Spencer Daniele; Human Zoo (Cranford NJ) is an avant-garde band that formed from a fateful Facebook post. Originally named Electric Sensei, the group currently features Zack Olsson (Keys) Alex Mendelson (Guitar/Vox) and Wyatt Rydlewski (Bass) Spencer Daniele (Vocals) and Joey Papa (Drums). With a highly eclectic sound that draws from rock, soul, funk, pop, world music, and love songs, the band changes lanes unexpectedly to satiate the modern attention span. With remote collabs and projects financed with crypto-currency, Human Zoo leverages technology to create a community of forward-thinking futuristic weirdos.
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