A guide for self-discovery
Meg Myers’ latest release, TZIA, marks her third studio album to date and is by far her most introspective. This new album is heavily centered around themes of self-exploration and discovering personal truths, as well as acknowledging the changing world. Myers delivers this album which so closely represents her own personal growth over the last several years in a myriad of sound, from slow, somber tunes to energetic, rocking beats culminating in a tumultuous journey of sound exploration.
The album begins with “Children of Light II,” an atmospheric, gothic track which urges the listener to take their bad experiences and traumas and turn the “darkness into life” and fuel their strengths, serving as an energetic intro to the record.
“A New Society” is a thumping, industrial pop track which serves as an anthem for the changing world. The song’s candid lyrics are a clear demand: for society to change for the better.
“Me” is a groovy, grungier track with pulsating beats; it is a sexually liberating song about self-love and making oneself a priority. As Myers so clearly states: “You are not the one for me, there’s someone else… and that’s me.”
“HTIS” is an upbeat and confident beat that features vocal performances from Luna Shadows and Carmen Vandenberg. “HTIS” stands for “hiding that I’m sexual,” a message laid out among verses which address the sexual repression of women.
The album slows significantly for the turn that is “T33nagers,” a quieter, passionate plea for the listeners to open their minds to change. This is followed by “My Mirror,” a track with a real, raw energy that harkens back to Myers’ Sorry-era music, in which the singer asks that the listener “be my mirror,” acknowledging their need for help.
“I Just Wanna Touch Somebody” follows, an intense and passionate beat with the goal of empowering the listener. Myers sings of her desire to “touch somebody / so they can be their own somebody” and to “give you strength when you feel weak,” a goal which she strives to achieve through her music and a goal which many fans might argue she has achieved immeasurable times over.
On a similar note, “Waste Of Confetti” comments on the toxic cycles of living for other people. This reflective, touching beat reflects on a past of people-pleasing, and a rejection of always saying yes “when my heart is pulling at me.”
An unusual ground for Myers, a cover of Linkin Park’s “Numb” is up next, with Myers’ own take on the classic song. While the original had a very incensed sound, Myers’ takes a different approach, with a slower, sadder beat and performance which sounds more tired, further emphasized by infrequent sighs over the course of the song, making for a unique perspective on the frequently-covered track.
“Ovaries Speak” moves between loud and quiet, from soft plucks to hard shreds on a guitar alongside intense percussion, carrying the energy of that classic ‘90s alt sound. Following the trend of the album, this song carries themes of self-love and throwing off the shackles of everyday life. As Myers says, “It’s time to give yourself / All of the love you’ve been missing.”
“Searching For The Truth” follows with loud, dark electronic beats and Myers condemning society’s focus on aesthetics and the perception of “external” viewpoints and the idea of there being a “right” way to be– and that listeners should search for their own truth.
“TZIA” kicks off into its fiery industrial sound as Myers sings more lyrics about self-exploration, a search for personal truth and her desire to share her vision with the new-age world.
“Bluebird” is instead soft, slow and somber as it addresses the dark reality of many who fail to escape their toxic cycles and fail to find themselves. As Myers sings “We are gathered here today / to mourn the loss of all those / who have lost their way,” she calls for people to open up to others and not “settle for the pain” before it’s too late.
As the album comes to a close, “Sophia <144>” serves as Myers’ reminder to her audience that “We’re all in this together,” backed by an optimistic electronic beat and featuring a rap verse from Nicole Perretti.
Complex instrumentals with drums, synthesizers and electronic beats reinforcing Myer’s vocals as she sings about “learning to fly” all come together in “Eleveneleven” for a final flourish to bring the album to an end.
TZIA is a passionate collection of ballads for those who have lost their way in life. Myers uses her own journey of self-discovery and growth to inform her music, and asks the listener to join her in her vision for the future.
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