If song names like ‘Renegade Fighter’, 'Hard to Find Her' and ‘Glorafilia’ sound familiar to you, you’ll no doubt already know the Aotearoa music icons ZED.

An essential part of the soundtrack to our lives since their first single in 1997, ZED have hit 2024 steadily releasing singles in the lead up to this new body of work ‘Future Memory’ arriving August 23.

The band reunited back in 2017 for a whirlwind performance of ‘Renegade Fighter’ at Eden Park in front of 50,000 passionate All Blacks fans. That night was the catalyst for them to step back into the studio, as more experienced musicians with nothing to prove and nothing to lose, feeling like they had never left in 2005. The outcome? An 11-track album they describe as a mix of bandroom jams, studio exploration, and live show testing, moulded into a collection of tunes as varied and eclectic as their first album.

Nathan King says that the process of crafting and refining songs they’ve all shared in creating has brought the band closer together than ever before.

‘I’m proud we were able to step outside our comfort zones on this record and go to places musically I wasn’t expecting. There were loads of songs to choose from, which meant some hard decisions made to land on the final 11 tracks of ‘Future Memory', but I was stoked with the way everyone in the band put their individual preferences to one side and focussed on creating an album that works so well as a whole.’

The band have embraced new technology on this record, while still following processes that built the foundation of the group 20 years ago.

“We wanted to push the sound of the band forward, while still maintaining the essential qualities that have helped shape who we are as a group. Energy, freshness and keeping things a little unexpected were all ideas we followed”, says Nathan.

Believers that the best songs sometimes take a few listens to connect deeply, they hope this will be the case for fans with these tracks as well.

A tight-knit group of musicians goes further than just the band members, and in this case, producer and long-time collaborator Nic Manders was the “perfect choice” as producer.

“He was with us on our debut album ‘Silencer' back in 2000, so it felt full-circle to have him on the album journey once again. He understands the delicate art of balancing dynamics within a band; weighing opinions and preferences, challenging and pushing creativity, and maintaining momentum”, says Nathan.