Toronto’s latest churn of top-tier hip hop and R&B talent is showing the promise of greatness. At midnight, the Montreal-native rapper Zach Zoya released his single “Smoke & Dance” with an accompanying black and white “visualizer” (a more abstract version of a music video) through Universal Music Canada. The video has a fingerprint-esque filter washing out videos of Zach onstage and interacting with the crowd.
The song starts with high-notes and high tempos that cascade into a rhythmic beat as Zach hits high notes singing “call me ‘round seven, I roll up a little something to smoke my mind” that breaks down into quick repetitions of “Smoke & Dance." The track is irresistibly catchy, its power-packed beats and quick-rhythms powering the lyrics.
Zach’s comments on the song; “Smoke & Dance’ feels like what I want this summer to feel like – the biggest of parties. This is my comeback song. This is the energy we have been missing for two years and I’m really trying to come back on stage with a bang! I’ve had the chance to perform it already while on tour with Charlotte Cardin and it has been so great so far – the energy just speaks for itself. It makes people want to move, dance, and have a good time. We had a party in the studio making it, and it’s a party on stage when we perform it!”
“Smoke & Dance” is the preamble to Zach’s June 10th EP release, titled No Love Is Ever Wasted. If you’re in Los Angeles, catch him at School Night at the Bardot in Hollywood, a weekly show that’s known for catching talent just as they break. If you’re in New York, you can see him in an intimate crowd at the Ludlow House.