SXSW starts tomorrow and with how much is happening in person, it’s more-or-less back to its pre-pandemic state. That’s a huge contrast to 2020, when SXSW’s cancellation presaged the past two years of quarantine guidelines, in-person precautions, and varying techniques of social distancing. That same March singer-songwriter John Zakoor took the immediate impacts of COVID as a cue to split from New York City and seek refuge with family here in Austin.

Within months Zakoor began collaborating remotely with drummer Bryan O’Flynn on new music and by the end of 2020, Zakoor had released two EPs, One and Take Off Your Jacket. If you thought adjusting to work meetings over Zoom was a hassle, try writing an album over email and text. On their upcoming full-length Life Cycle, Zakoor once again examines life in a global pandemic while injecting elements of ’90s grunge and ’80s pop. It’s a little less bleak than Take Off Your Jacket or One, and embodies a bit more mature optimism over these ten new tracks. Life Cycle drops on May 6th and you can walk Zakoor’s tonal tightrope early with their meditation on memory, longing, and being on the brink of loss – “Chloe”.