KATIE BROWN - 17 MAY 2021

“If I’m folding my arms, will you unfold them for me, like origami?”

Last night I stood on Auckland’s Muriwai beach at sunset, watching the waves crash in and then retreat again. The contrast between the ebb and flow was vivid: mirror-like, the retreating water was calm, slow and gentle: with a glassy surface rippling like watery silk, it reflected the colours of the sunset in a way the tumult of the waves couldn’t. In contrast, the rush of the incoming tide was powerful and magnificent, the crests of the waves whipped up like an invisible spirit was riding them in exhilaration.

Listening to the mesmerising and minimal new single “Origami” by 23-year-old Wellington-based chanteuse ZÖ, aka Zoe Jennings, brought this dichotomy to mind. Beginning with soft piano chords serving as the perfect foundation to the gravitas of Zoe’s vocals, “Origami” mimics the same smooth movement of those waves in its undulations between these quieter, reflective segments and the more upbeat drive of the chorus, solidly grounded in a weighty kick-and-bass combo. Complemented with flickering guitar riffs and vocoder vocals thickening out the chorus, the track is equally as punchy as it is reflective.

Not one to shy away from being vulnerable and honest in her songwriting, Zoe says, “This song is about realising I need to work on myself, that I’m the only one who can make it happen, but sometimes I forget and slip back into my old ways… sometimes I just need someone to keep me accountable and help me through it.”

This sense of falling back into old patterns and needing a helping hand from time to time is what the song is all about: as she sings, “If I’m folding my arms, will you unfold them for me, like origami?” It’s a relatable sentiment - there are times when an external voice can make all the difference.

What really strikes me about the song, though, is how its structure cleverly reinforces this idea: the contrast between the softer verses and the upbeat chorus mimics the folding and unfolding. The folding is like the gentle and subdued retreat of those spent Muriwai waves, and the unfolding creates an uplifting space for expansion: the glory of the magnificent foam-tipped peaks.

In “Origami” Zoe has created equal space for both states, and in doing so she’s shown that there is beauty in the folding as much as in the unfolding. Part of life’s yin and yang, they belong together as two equal halves of the same whole.

“Origami” follows on from ZÖ’s stunning three-track debut EP War, released in 2019 to rave reviews. Influenced by the likes of London Grammar and Aurora, the 23-year-old is set to release her second EP Do You Mind? in August this year.

Watch this space!

Stream the single below, and find ZÖ on Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Youtube | Spotify