“It’s awesome to let other people’s ideas take yours to new heights” – an Interview with Zilched

Today sees the release of Earthly Delights, the sophomore album from Detroit singer-songwriter Chloe Drallos, aka Zilched, on the Young Heavy Souls label. With assistance from indie rock auteur Ian Ruhala (Hala) and producer/programmer Ben Collins (Minihorse), the record builds on the promise of 2020 debut DOOMPOP and delivers an excellent collection of songs of her trademark gothic pop slanted alt-rock with elements of grunge thrown in.

We caught up with Chloe to talk about the new record, overcoming writers block and the joys of colored vinyl.

Hi Chloe! What classic album cover is your current mood?
I’ve been listening to Roxy Music’s ‘The Siren’ a bit this summer. “Love is the drug” has been my jam. I think that cover with the creepy mischievous mermaid is definitely my summer mood…

Your second album “Earthly Delights” is out on August 11th. When and where did you write and record the songs?
I wrote the first song “Strike Gently” in like September of 2020 after a pretty rough year of writer’s block. Then in January of 2021 I wrote “A Valentine” which restored a lot of confidence and led me to write a majority of the songs all through that next summer. A couple songs came once the recording had already started last year though. So there’s a good chunk of time in there. Pretty much every song gets written in my room, on my phone, at the cemetery, in the car… They tend to tag along wherever I go. 

Your debut “DOOMPOP” came out in 2020. What did you learn from that process that you applied to the new record?
Nearly everything I know! Ben Collins took on the project knowing I wanted to learn from him and be there every step of the way. He did a great job explaining what he was doing and helping me figure out and communicate what was in my head. I was really determined to have an album that was married to as much of my own ideas as possible… I learned with ‘Earthly Delights’ that it’s awesome to let other people’s ideas take yours to new heights. 

It seems like your sound has really developed on this record and it feels like a bigger record, how do you feel like it’s changed?
In all honesty I think the loss of live shows during the pandemic really sent me back in time as a writer,  to before I had ever played with a band. Just writing songs without consideration for live set ups or whatever genre identity I’d developed. Finding inspiration in way more areas than music. 

“Loveless” is probably my favorite track at the moment (as I’ve played it a lot over the last few weeks). Do you have a favorite on “Earthly Delights”?
I think that first one I wrote, “Strike Gently” stays in a lane of its own for me. I had saved so many scraps of inspiration during that writer’s block that when I was finally sitting down working this song out, all these points of reference just fell together in a way that made it all deeply personal to me. A response poem to Brian Eno’s “Baby’s On Fire” became the outro. The second half of the hook is an Edgar Allen Poe line, and there’s some Bram Stoker allusions in there too. It’s like a movie i’d love to watch haha 

If you could only listen to one record, what would it be?
I used to always answer ‘Darklands’ Jesus and Mary Chain. Which I still love but it’s so ingrained in my psyche that I feel it without even listening Haha. In all honesty, I’ve probably listened to Florence and The Machine’s ‘How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful’ more than anything in this last year. Knowing the American sky inspired that title takes me back to all the touring and road-tripping I’ve done here in my life. It’s pretty visceral and comforting. 

With a new record coming out, do you feel any pressure to “go viral” on Tik-Tok or another social media site?
I don’t feel the pressure, I more so feel a little disappointed by how real it is. I think being true to myself in my expression probably won’t lead me to do anything viral-worthy haha but I am trying to not knock the tiktok thing. I still post on there, mostly for fun and to have a presence. It’s cool to reach a younger crowd so easily, I care more about reaching people I wouldn’t typically meet on my own. 

You’ve been making music as Zilched since you were 17. When/Why did you decide you want to be a musician?
My oldest brother (who graduated high school the year I was born) was always a musician and I thought that was awesome, but there wasn’t anyone really showing me how to get started for much of my childhood. I think when I was 11 a friend had a ukulele and the “Woah this is me sized and if you can learn I can too” type thing happened. That instrument got boring pretty fast though and once I started playing guitar a lot at 12 or 13 I lost interest in pretty much any other plan for my life. 

You have a release show in Detroit before heading out on a tour of the eastern side of the US and Canada. Where are you looking forward to playing and where would be your dream gig venue?
I’m excited for Canada! I’ve only been there once(for a show last year) so I’m really excited to be there for a few days with a day off too to soak it in as much as possible. My dream venue? Maybe one of the smaller rooms in the Masonic Temple in Detroit. Or like… an ancient amphitheater in Greece. 

There are few different genres (shoegaze, goth, indie) mixed into your sound with synths and distorted guitars. What were you listening to growing up that influenced your sound?
I was definitely a classic rock kid. My mom introduced me to The Ramones and Blondie pretty young but for some reason I drifted more towards The Doors, Fleetwood Mac. Bob Dylan was the biggest hero of my youth though. Then my later teens were all about me finding out I have a lot of reasons to relate with Courtney Love and Robert Smith… from there The Jesus and Mary Chain directly led to me forming Zilched. This record’s “sound” feels like I finally connected all those dots…

What would go on your signature pizza and what would it be called?
I have so many signature pizzas! My dad has a pizza shop and that was my job for all of high school… haha, probably feta pineapple and jalapeño. 

What do you have planned for the rest of 2023 and beyond?
Currently I’m just trying to enjoy every minute of a very busy time. My only plans aside from what you already know is to take it as it comes and to not let the work overshadow the excitement. 

Chloe Drallos has been making music as Zilched since the summer of 2017 and, at only 23, has been established as a scion of the underground. In 2020, she released her debut album DOOMPOP, which solidified her conspicuously eclectic, genre-transcendent pop, exposing Drallos’ sound to a national audience. 

You can find out more about Chloe by visiting her website and follow Zilched on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok for all the latest news.

Feature Photo Credit – Carrigan Drallos