The Nobodies by Zeropolis

Recent AnalogueTrash signings Zeropolis make their official label debut with topical tones of The Nobodies. Post-punk allied with icy synths, relentless electronic drums and a forensic examination of austerity, the song pulls no punches in illustrating the contrast between the haves and the have-nots, a message that is important to the band.

Zeropolis is made up of two French exiles who met in London through the DIY punk scene. They started playing music together as Zeropolis in 2018, with a desire to produce a gloomy yet danceable strain of electronic post-punk, featuring lyrical themes ranging from technological fatigue and depression to social inequalities and the pressures of work life and the nuclear family.

The duo spent their early days rehearsing in a garden shed they hand-built in a Bromley-by-Bow warehouse that was up for demolition, slowly crafting what would become their first EP. The self-titled effort ended up being released in early 2020 by FDH Records in the US and Blank Editions in the UK, right before the first nationwide lockdown forced them to put a pin in their touring plans.

The Nobodies takes inspiration from French President Emmanuel Macron's infamous 2017 statement that "train stations are places where we cross paths with people who are successful, and people who are nothing."

"It struck a chord within us at the time,” says the band, “as French citizens, but more importantly as anyone living under austerity these days. It was proof that these politicians only see people as numbers, and don’t recognise the humanity of those not like them, those who don’t fit in the neoliberal fantasy.”

“The Nobodies is a rallying cry for the people considered ‘nothing.’ The lyrics depict the social struggles behind the term and speak to anyone who's ever felt invisible or overlooked.”

The song also encapsulates the evolution of the band’s sound over the years, their initially guitar-focused approach now taking inspiration from dark electronica and EBM, with tracks like Pain by Boy Harsher and Bennington by John Maus being among the initial catalysts for this change.

They continue, “We share a similar passion for bands like Suicide, Jay Reatard and Grauzone, and of course classic British and American punk-rock—where the chorus is king and the hooks stand out and stay in your head. Over time, more influences came to feed our music-making process. From post-punk bands like Total Control or Diät to more industrial/electronic acts like Nitzer Ebb, DFA, and Schwefelgelb.”

The Nobodies also marks a departure from the coldwave tunes that Zeropolis have accustomed us to via their debut EP. Instead, it offers a punchy and anthemic punk song that draws from the Oi! scene and latter-era Blitz, while maintaining the drum machine and stark synths that characterise their sound.

Shattered synth-punk for systems in collapse.