“It’s kind of an expansion of the first album that probably nobody ever heard about or listened to,” offered Manuel Gagneux, a driving force behind the enigma that is Zeal & Ardor ahead of the release of his second album, Stranger Fruit. “I’m pretty fucken proud of it and I hope you enjoy it too.”
No stranger to controversy over his thought-provoking and brutally honest lyrics, Gagneux refuses to apologize for his content, evoking an emotion through his music that almost dares you to ignore his message.
“It’s hard to convey how I create that emotion,” he measured, “because in a conversation like this it splits into a jovial conversation but I can’t really get into what I felt like making the album now because that would ruin the whole vibe of this chat…”
In a refreshingly honest and uncensored chat, Manuel discusses the intricacies of the album and the meaning behind the title and artwork, as well as just what his objectives are with Zeal & Ardor. He talks about his beliefs on censorship versus honesty and also has an interesting tale to tell of being punched in the face because of his music.
Stranger Fruit will be released on June 8th in multiple formats, including CD, cassette, vinyl, and digital download/stream. For vinyl fans, there’s a 2LP 180g gatefold vinyl or a 2LP limited deluxe 180g triple gatefold purple vinyl.
