ZOE 'Reptilectric' album

Perhaps the most successful band to emerge from Mexico City’s bourgeoning rock scene, Zoé will release its fourth album, Reptilectric, April 7 on EMI Televisa Music. Recorded with longtime producer Phil Vinall at the controls, Reptilectric is at once brash and tender, psychedelic and anthemic. Upon its November release, Reptilectric debuted at the top of the Mexican pop albums chart and quickly earned gold certification.

In Mexico, Zoé attracts crowds of tens of thousands to their explosive live performances. American audiences will have an opportunity to hear the band—vocalist Leon Larregui, guitarist Sergio Acosta, bassist Angel Mosqueda, keyboard player Jesus Baez and drummer Rodrigo Guardiola—play the new material at the SXSW Festival, when Zoé performs at the Dirty Dog in Austin on March 21. In mid-April, the band will embark on a tour of the U.S. sponsored by Jack Daniels.

The Mexican press greeted Reptiletric with glowing accolades. The Mexican edition of Rolling Stone awarded the disc 4 ½ stars (of 5), calling it “one of the year’s best albums.”

One can hear in Reptilectric the mark of Zoé’s longtime producer, Phil Vinall, whose work with Radiohead, Pulp, Elastica and Placebo initially caught the group’s attention early in their career together. Zoé invited Vinall to mix its self-titled 2001 debut album, and the band has placed its complete trust in the British producer ever since. “This album has his touch, 100%,” says bassist Angel Mosqueda. “He has been our guru in many senses.”

Reptilectric’s scope is captured in its title track, a David Bowie-inspired space oddity with driving guitars and ethereal vocals. Zoé continues to show its range throughout the album—from the dancefloor-friendly “Ultimos Dias” to the new-wave psychedelia of “No Hay Dolor.”

Zoé formed in Mexico City in 1995, sharing a passion for the music of the Beatles, Placebo, The Cure and The Stone Roses. The band’s 2001 debut helped create a loyal fan base that would grow exponentially with Zoé’s 2003 album Rocanlover. The band began combining acoustic melodies with electronic textures, creating music that ranged from subtle to soaring. Vinall produced Zoé’s 2006’s Memo Rex Commander y el Corazon Atómico de la Via Lactea (Memo Rex Commander and the Atomic Heart of the Milky Way) which quickly went platinum and earned Zoé prominent billing at Latin music festivals including Vive Latini and Creamfields. Memo Rex… was also Zoé’s first album to be released in the U.S.

Now, having already made a tremendous impact in the ever-expanding world of Latin Alternative music, Zoé is poised to cross over to new fans in the U.S. thanks to the sonic scope and emotional depth of Reptilectric.

ZOE biography
It was the mid-1990..s and the members of Zoé knew what they were up against when they decided to make challenging, rewarding music. Back then, musicians understood the problem - how do you become known wihout a scene to thrive in, and how can you create a scene if you..re unkown? Zoé took matters into its own hands, booking and promoting itself and pitching demos to anyone in the business who..d listen.

Zoé fortuitously met the outstanding UK producer Phil Vinall (Placebo, Elastica, Pulp, Gene), who was thrilled with this unknown group’s music and agreed to mix their first album, which is self-titled.

Their second album, Rocanlover, was released in November 2003, ranging from acoustic to electric to electronic, encompassing a wide spectrum of expression and sonic moments that are subtle one minute and explosive the next.

In March 2004, Zoé threw itself into its biggest tour yet, playing the U.S. for the first time at a packed SXSW showcase in Austin. In all, they hit over 60 cities in the U.S. and Mexico.

In a surprising but pitch-perfect strategic decision, Zoé decided to get back to basics, ignoring lucrative record contracts and instead making a pact with the Mexican indie Noiselab. On Noiselab, they released EP The Room, which became their first Gold Record (Mexican sales surpassing 50, 000 units) and featured the smash single “Dead”.

Collaborating once again with renowned Phil Vinall, Zoé released their last album, Memo Rex Commander y el Corazón Atómico de la Vía Láctea. ( Memo Rex Commander and the Atomic Heart of the Milky Way) (Noiselab, July 2006), Platinum Record to date.

In this album, Zoé redefines universality in a hallucinatory astral trip that takes the listener to an endless array of concepts, emotions and sentiments. An array that revolves around the group’s recurring themes: peace, love, death, existence, technology, infinity...

Zoé, has wowed the Latin alternative scene while turning thousands on to its mind-expanding concept. Performing at new-rock’s top festivals such as Vive Latino and Creamfields, all the while building loyal fans and the admiration of critics.

One of the most brilliant bands in rock-en-Español, Zoé reminds us that the most rewarding way to artistically create and connect is by making art you believe in and can’t wait to share with the world.

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ZOE - Reptilectric